[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11725-11726]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, twenty years ago, Brown University, located 
in my home State of Rhode Island, established the Leadership Alliance, 
a national academic consortium of leading research universities and 
minority serving institutions with the mission to develop 
underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in 
academia, business, and the public sector. Brown University and its 
partner institutions have continued to address this pressing national 
need.
  The National Research Council recently published a report titled 
``Research Universities and the Future of America'' that included a 
call for ten ``breakthrough actions.'' Two of these actions involve 
reforming graduate education and creating pathways into the fields of 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for women and 
underrepresented minorities. That is what the Leadership Alliance has 
been striving to do since 1992.

[[Page 11726]]

  Through an organized program of research, networking and mentorship 
at critical transitions along the entire academic training pathway, the 
Leadership Alliance prepares young scientists and scholars from 
underrepresented and underserved populations for graduate training and 
professional apprenticeships. Leadership Alliance faculty mentors 
provide high quality, cutting-edge research experiences in all academic 
disciplines at the Nation's most competitive graduate training 
institutions and share insights into the nature of academic careers.
  In the 20 years since its establishment, the Leadership Alliance has 
established a strong track record of success. More than half of the 
students who participated in the Summer Research Early Identification 
program enrolled in a graduate level program. Leadership Alliance 
institutions graduated approximately 25 percent of all doctorates in 
the biomedical sciences degrees to underrepresented minority students 
between 2004 and 2008, making it a leading consortium grantor of PhD 
degrees in the biomedical sciences in the United States.
  Since founding the Leadership Alliance in 1992, Brown has mentored 
386 scholars, of whom 35 percent have attained a graduate level degree. 
Nearly half of the students who participated in its Summer Research 
Early Identification program completed a graduate level degree. A 
majority of the Leadership Alliance doctoral degree recipients are in 
the STEM disciplines.
  The Leadership Alliance is a model for identifying, training, and 
mentoring underrepresented minorities who are poised to expand and 
diversify the base of the 21st century workforce. I am pleased today to 
recognize the importance of such efforts and acknowledge the continued 
dedication of institutional leaders, faculty members, and 
administrators across the United States who provide training and 
mentoring of underrepresented students along the academic pathway. As 
such, I congratulate and commend the Leadership Alliance, including 
Brown University, for 20 years of contributing to creating a diverse 
and competitive research and scholarly workforce.
  Mr. CASEY: Mr. President, today I would like to acknowledge the great 
work of the Leadership Alliance during its 20th anniversary. The 
Leadership Alliance is a consortium of 32 leading colleges and 
universities that aims to train, mentor and inspire a diverse group of 
students from a wide range of backgrounds to enter competitive graduate 
programs and research careers. This admirable goal of expanding access 
to high-quality programs is supported by the consortium's shared 
resources and vision.
  I would especially like to acknowledge the program at the University 
of Pennsylvania, which is one of the Leadership Alliance founding 
members and the only member in Pennsylvania. According to the 
university, the Leadership Alliance complements Penn's broader 
strategic vision of increasing diversity within its graduate student 
body and faculty. As it seeks to prepare leaders and role models for 
service in academia and the private and public sectors, the Leadership 
Alliance disseminates best practices in recruitment, mentoring and 
career development. With 20 years of experience in developing and 
sharing these essential techniques, the Leadership Alliance has helped 
to provide the Nation with a more diverse and globally competitive 
workforce. I wish to congratulate the Leadership Alliance on its 20th 
anniversary and thank its leaders and scholars for their significant 
contributions.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I am proud to rise today to honor the 
Leadership Alliance, which was founded 20 years ago in 1992 at Rhode 
Island's Brown University. It has grown to become a consortium of 32 of 
our country's leading higher education research and minority serving 
institutions, working together to bring students from underrepresented 
groups into competitive graduate programs and professional research 
careers. Through training and mentorship, the Leadership Alliance opens 
doors for our best and brightest young people to become the innovators 
of tomorrow.
  During its 20 years, the Leadership Alliance has mentored more than 
2,600 undergraduates, including 43 Rhode Islanders. These students are 
offered the unique and exciting opportunity, through the Summer 
Research-Early Identification Program, to participate in a 9-week paid 
summer internship where they work side by side with faculty in the 
academic discipline of their choice at some of our leading research 
institutions. They then present their research to the annual Leadership 
Alliance National Symposium. This summer experience gives the students 
the opportunity to expand their intellectual horizons, as well as 
network with academics and their peers. The program has produced nearly 
200 PhDs, the Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholars, along with 
professionals in private research and academia.
  It is vital for our country's continued competitiveness in the world 
that we seek to inspire our young people to innovate and experiment, to 
push the boundaries of our current knowledge. The Leadership Alliance 
has recognized that mentoring is key in order to ensure that students 
from all backgrounds feel that they have access to graduate education 
and know that they have peers in research. The innovative programs the 
Leadership Alliance has created over 20 years have not only allowed 
these students to increase their own opportunities academically and 
professionally, but allowed past students to become role models 
themselves.
  I congratulate the Leadership Alliance, Brown University, and the 
other participating colleges and universities, as well as academics and 
students, past and present, who through 20 years have shown their 
commitment to American education, leadership, and innovation.

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