STATEMENT OF DR MICHAEL L. LOMAX ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S SIGNING OF THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965

FAIRFAX, Va. (August 15, 2008) – This is a great day for education, and an especially great day for minority higher education.  We thank the leaders of the House and Senate and President Bush and his administration for the hard work and dedication that led to this outcome.

Since the Higher Education Act was last reauthorized ten years ago, a college education has become a minimum requirement for entry into almost every profession.  The U.S. has a system of college education that is the envy of the world, and we at UNCF-the United Negro College Fund-are especially proud of the 39 historically black colleges and universities that are UNCF members.  But as the cost of going to college has increased, federal support for higher education in general and HBCUs in particular has remained stagnant.

The re-enactment of the Higher Education is a major step to remedying that neglect.  The level of Pell Grants, the largest federal education assistance program for low-income students has increased.  Funds have been authorized to help HBCUs repair and rebuild their historic campuses and install the 21st century technology a 21st century education demands.  The Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Program in the reauthorized HEA will close the "digital divide" between HBCUs and other minority-serving colleges and universities and majority institutions.  

Although the passage of HEA Reauthorization is an important step, it is only a first step.  Pell Grant levels, though higher, are still far short of the purchasing power they had a decade ago.  HBCUs remain a valuable but under-supported resource in the nation's effort to helping students get the education they need and deserve.  And most important, far too many qualified and deserving minority and low-income students are unable to attend or complete college because of the high cost of college and the low level of financial assistance. 

On behalf of UNCF, the 60,000 students we support at 900 colleges around the country, and our 39 member colleges, we thank everyone who made HEA Reauthorization possible for working together to live up to the ideal expressed in UNCF's motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."®

About UNCF
UNCF-the United Negro College Fund-is the nation's oldest and most successful minority education assistance organization. Its mission is to increase minority degree attainment by providing financial support to its 39 member institutions, reducing financial barriers to college and serving as a national advocate for minority education.  UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees.  UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs.  Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country.  UNCF's recently redesigned logo and brand identity feature UNCF's torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.

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