[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PELL GRANT

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                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2022

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
Anniversary of the Pell Grant Program.
  In 1972, Congress amended the Higher Education Act by creating the 
Basic Educational Opportunity Grant to provide direct financial aid to 
low-income students so they would have the same access to higher 
education and opportunity for success as their higher income peers. But 
this process was not without its trials and tribulations. It is not 
lost on me the incredible tenacity of the late Lois Dickson Rice--the 
``mother of the Pell Grant''--whose work with the College Entrance 
Examination Board was instrumental in the creation of the Basic 
Education Opportunity Grant later named the Pell Grant for its original 
sponsor, the late Senator Claiborne Pell, Democrat from Rhode Island.
  I want to take a moment to speak about a constituent of mine who is 
spending her summer working in my office, Fatimah Toure. She is a 
rising senior at Seton Hall University studying political science and 
Africana Studies. She is one of over 27,000 Pell Grant recipients in 
New Jersey's 10th congressional district and a scholar of the campus-
based Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). As a first generation American 
and low-income student, the Pell Grant has allowed Fatimah to achieve 
and complete her higher education without financial worries. She told 
me that ``College was always part of my plan, but I didn't know how to 
pay for it. I didn't want to burden my parents and be the reason they 
couldn't retire, but I also didn't want to take out thousands of 
dollars in loans. The Pell Grant assisted me and my family in ensuring 
we can achieve our American dream.'' By virtue of qualifying for the 
Pell Grant, Fatimah and 49 other low-income students were admitted into 
Seton Hall's EOP, where they were enrolled in intensive academic 
courses and formed long-lasting bonds over a 6-week period before they 
began their freshman year. Not only did the Pell Grant and Educational 
Opportunity Program provide financial assistance for Fatimah, but she 
was also afforded academic support: tutoring, structured study, 
academic advisement, summer courses, community service opportunities, 
internships, and counseling services throughout her college experience.
  The program leveled the playing field, so Fatimah was not 
financially, academically, or socially isolated. The benefits of the 
Pell Grant have not only served Fatimah, but also two of her siblings, 
one of whom is a graduate from Rowan University, and the other a rising 
senior at Rutgers University. To date, more than 80 million students 
have received a Pell Grant to go to college since the program's 
creation. Currently, nearly 7 million students are going to college 
with Pell Grants, or about 40 percent of undergraduate students.
  In New Jersey's 10th district, 27,085 students receive nearly $121 
million to pursue their higher education goals at our local colleges. 
Rutgers University, with one of its campuses located in Newark within 
my district, has more than 18,000 Pell recipients, providing over $91 
million in aid each year to students. Roughly 60 percent of Rutgers--
Newark students receive Pell Grants, which is instrumental in their 
pursuit of higher education.
  During this month as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pell 
Grant program, I encourage the United States to celebrate ``National 
Pell Grant Day,'' recognizing the current students and successful 
graduates who have benefited from the program by telling their student 
success stories and encouraging the same access for future students.
  Madam Speaker, I look forward to Congress continuing the bipartisan 
support for low-income student access to college through the Pell Grant 
for another 50 years. I am proud to join many of my colleagues on the 
bipartisan resolution declaring June 23, 2022, National Pell Grant Day 
this year, and in many years in the future.

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