[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18326]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF HBCU WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities play a critical role in the American higher 
education system. This year's theme--``The Tradition Continues: New 
Successes and Challenges''--is especially fitting considering the 
precarious state of affairs of higher education funding and student aid 
for all institutions of higher education. These theme is also 
appropriate as many HBCUs around the country welcomed students 
displaced last year by Hurricane Katrina.
  For most of America's history, African Americans who received a 
college education could only get it from and HBCU. Today, HBCUs remain 
one of the surest ways for an African American, or student of any race, 
to receive a high quality education. In 1965, Congress officially 
defined an HBCU in Title III of the Higher Education Act as an 
institution: whose principal mission was the education of black 
Americans; that is accredited; and that was established before 1964.
  The first HBCU, Cheney University in Pennsylvania, was founded in 
1837. Today, there are 105 Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities. I am proud to have 5 HBCUs in my home State of Virginia: 
Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Saint Paul's College, 
Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.
  HBCUs graduate far more than their share of African American 
professionals. While the 105 HBCUs represent just 3 percent of the 
Nation's institutions of higher learning, they graduate nearly one-
quarter of African Americans who earn undergraduate degrees.
  HBCUs, because of their unique sensibility to the special needs of 
young African American minds, remain the institutions that demonstrate 
the most effective ability to graduate African American students who 
are poised to be competitive in the corporate, research, academic, 
governmental and military arenas.
  Consider these statistics:
  Experts in their chosen field
  Over half of all African American professionals are graduates of 
HBCUs.
  Nine of the top ten colleges that graduate the most African Americans 
who go on to earn Ph.D.s are HBCUs.
  More than 50 percent of the Nation's African American public school 
teachers and 70 percent of African American dentists earned degrees at 
HBCUs.
  HBCUs Spelman College and Bennett College produce over half of the 
nation's African American female doctorates in all science fields.
  Excellent Institutions
  As ranked by Black Enterprise in 2003, seven of the top ten ``Top 
Colleges and Universities for African Americans,'' including the top 
six, were HBCUs.
  HBCU Xavier University #1 nationally in placing African-Americans 
into medical school.
  HBCUs also dominate the upper echelon in terms of numbers of African 
American graduates per school for the last academic year
  Seven of the top eight producers of African-American baccalaureates 
overall were HBCUs, including #1 Florida A&M University and #2 Howard 
University.
  Sixteen of the top 21 producers of African American baccalaureates in 
biological and biomedical sciences were HBCUs, including the entire top 
six: Xavier University of LA (#1), Hampton University (#2), Howard 
University (#3), Morgan State University (#4), Jackson State University 
(#5), and Tennessee State University (#6).
  Eight of the top nine producers of African American baccalaureates in 
mathematics and statistics were HBCUs: #1 Morehouse College, #2 South 
Carolina State University, #3 Alabama State University, #3 Spelman 
College, #5 Southern University and A&M College, #6 Tennessee State 
University, #7 Hampton University, and #9 Howard University.
  Three of the top five producers of African American baccalaureates in 
psychology were HBCUs: #1 Florida A&M University, #3 Hampton 
University, and #5 Howard University.
  While these statistics overwhelmingly demonstrate the importance of 
HBCUs, the proof of the power of an HBCU is in the success of its 
graduates. I am proud to serve with 15 members of the U.S. House of 
Representatives that are graduates of these fine institutions.
  Mr. Speaker, HBCUs have played an important role in educating 
African-American students. I would like to commend them for their past 
efforts and wish them continued success in the future. I am confident 
that HBCUs will continue to ensure that students of all races receives 
a quality higher education.

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