by Jim Tankersley
The Senate passed a broad higher-education bill today that included a small but important -- for a quarter million African-American students, anyway -- provision pushed by a pair of lawmakers from Illinois.
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act creates a new designation for colleges, "Predominantly Black Institutions," which don't qualify for "Historically Black Colleges and Universities" status but serve large numbers of African American students nevertheless. The estimated 75 colleges in that new group - including eight in Illinois - are now eligible for a $15 million pool of federal grants.
The engines behind the provision are Sen. Barack Obama and Rep. Danny Davis, a pair of Illinois Democrats. Obama's office hailed the Senate passed bill in a release today, which included Obama saying, "For decades, Predominantly Black Institutions have given our students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today's economy, and their recognition is long overdue. This funding will invest in a new generation of leaders by strengthening these institutions."
The bill now heads to President Bush, who has indicated he will sign it.
Read on for the full release from Obama's office:
OBAMA INITIATIVE TO FUND PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTIONS PASSES SENATE
75 Colleges will be eligible for $15 million in annual grants
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today praised the Senate's passage of The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (H.R. 2669), which provides $15 million in annual funding for Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). In May, Obama joined with Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) to introduce the Senate version of the Predominantly Black Institutions Act (S.1513). This proposal establishes a program for approximately 75 urban and rural colleges and technical programs that serve a large number of African American students – many who are the first in their families to attend college.
"For decades, Predominantly Black Institutions have given our students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today's economy, and their recognition is long overdue," Senator Obama said. "This funding will invest in a new generation of leaders by strengthening these institutions. Higher education remains too far out of reach for many students and we must break down any barriers that are preventing our kids from getting the world-class education they deserve. I want to thank Congressman Danny Davis for his continued leadership on this issue."
More than a quarter of a million students would benefit from grants awarded as a result of the PBI designation. Grants can be used for a variety of purposes, from acquiring laboratory equipment to supporting teacher education to establishing community outreach programs for pre-college students.
This legislation would amend the Higher Education Act to provide resources to Predominantly Black Institutions. These institutions are primarily urban and rural two-year colleges that serve at least 50 percent low-income or first-generation college students. This designation is projected to apply to 75 institutions in 17 states, benefiting approximately 265,000 students. While Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) also serve African-American students, institutions with this designation were established prior to 1964 and are not required to serve students with financial hardship. The PBI grants will provide more opportunities for equal academic achievement to minority students.
In Illinois, institutions that could benefit from this program include: City Colleges of Chicago – Kennedy-King College ; Chicago State University; South Suburban College; City Colleges of Chicago – Harold Washington College; City Colleges of Chicago – Malcolm X College; City Colleges of Chicago – Olive-Harvey College; East-West University ; and Robert Morris College.
The PBI bill is supported by the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), the United Negro College Fund, and the American Association of Community Colleges.
Obama serves as a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
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Comments
Everyone is equal it's just that some are more equal than others.
Posted by: whatnow | September 7, 2007 5:08 PM
Doesn't this smack of discrimination in funding?
Posted by: McKinley | September 7, 2007 5:48 PM
Everyone is equal, it's just that some have been more historically discriminated against than others.
Posted by: Doug Zook | September 7, 2007 5:58 PM
Is that the Chicago State University that graduates just 15 percent of its entering students over six years? Any performance standards in these grants?
Posted by: Earlene | September 7, 2007 8:59 PM
Seems kind of funny that Obama is desperately courting the balck vote.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 7, 2007 10:39 PM
Is that the Chicago State University that graduates just 15 percent of its entering students over six years? Any performance standards in these grants?
Posted by: Earlene | September 7, 2007 8:59 PM
That's because bruce teaches there, really!
Posted by: TheReamer | September 8, 2007 12:07 AM
Kind of odd this great piece of legislation is pounced on by very racist comments. This is a much needed piece of added aid needed by African American students. This white lady from New York wonders why an effort to help black students gets attacked? I know many many hard working black college students who STRUGGLE to make it through college not because of the inability to do the work, but their inability to get enough financial aid.
Posted by: Fran | September 8, 2007 5:39 AM
How does Obama know that a given "predominantly black institution" is worth investing in? How many times did he and Emil Jones pour good money after bad into Chicago State? Politics or substance, that is the question.
Posted by: john | September 8, 2007 7:06 AM
Pumping extra money into colleges specifically because those colleges are "black" (or "white", for that matter) is racial discrimination, pure and simple.
But evidently racial discrimination is ok, if the racial discrimination benefits certain select groups. Obama and Davis (and Bush if he signs the bill), should be ashamed of themselves.
Posted by: Bruce | September 8, 2007 9:53 AM
All the pains we took to try and desegregate our public schools, only to end up in a "black" college? I don't see how this helps. "Black" shouldn't always be equated with "disadvantaged". Learning institutions that serve all low income students, regardless of skin color, race and ethnicity are needed.
Posted by: DD | September 8, 2007 11:21 AM
"Kind of odd this great piece of legislation is pounced on by very racist comments."
Posted by: Fran | September 8, 2007 5:39 AM
Kind of odd, your coment, Fran. Did you bother to actually read any of the other comments? As I type this, there has not been one racist comment in this thread.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 8, 2007 12:08 PM
As I type this, there has not been one racist comment in this thread.
In fact, racist remarks in general are quite rare in the Swamp. I tip my hat to the bloggers and administrators.
To the original post, the problem with Black higher education is that education is badly broken at lower levels. Students arrive at dumps like Chicago State (and I know it's a dump because I once attended) often very poorly prepared.
The way to fix higher education is certainly NOT by segregation What could possibly be good about an all black college? Or all White? Or Asian? etc. That's hardly conducive to turning out well rounded grads.
Nor is simply dumping money into universities an answer. Education is broken at the K thru 12 level. And it is especially broken for the economically disadvantaged students. That's where it must be fixed, and if it is the result will be better college students.
Obama is certainly smart enough to know all of that. That's why this is such an obvious campaign ploy.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 8, 2007 12:23 PM
awww, bruce. It must be so tough for you to be a white man. i mean, you've never, ever had an advantage in life. The white man's burden is pretty tough, huh?
You and the other bigots here are pathetic.
Posted by: jerry 101 | September 8, 2007 12:51 PM
The German's have a better program where high schools start technical and apprentice programs for those who aren't college bound. Learning a skill beats dropping out every time.
Financial hardships cross all color barriers.
Posted by: whatnow | September 8, 2007 1:36 PM
"jerry 101", glad to hear you (a defender of racial discrimination) call people you disagree with "bigots".
"Bigot" is something a leftist starts shouting when he's losing the argument.
Posted by: Bruce | September 8, 2007 2:54 PM
Just another nail in the coffin of the right wingnuts who say that Obama hasn't accomplished anything as a Senator.
Posted by: BC | September 8, 2007 4:36 PM
Posted by: Bruce | September 8, 2007 2:54 PM
And when Bruce can't even get a draw in a topic posted here in The Swamp, he falls back onto his favorite crutch of a post "And in a poll that the Swamp won't print, Hillary is losing to Guiliani x% to y%"...
Posted by: BC | September 8, 2007 4:39 PM
Bruce:
I agree with you that this bill is premised on racial discrimination. I am also glad to see that you finally suggested that President Bush should be ashamed of himself for something.
As a conservative to someone whom I believe has conservative leanings (you, that is), I might suggest that President Bush is not a good conservative, has not been a good conservative, and deserves to be ashamed of himself for a whole lot more than a lot of Republicans have been willing to admit.
His mis-handling of government finances and signing off on all the pork is what really turned me against him. My father used to decry all those G%& D#@*#@! tax-and-spend Democrats. But now we have a real-live, G%& D#@*#@! tax and spend Republican in the White House. Right after that, his counter-intuitive handling of the immigration dilemma just turned me completely sour.
I can't wait to get rid of him. We need better conservatives (read non-neocon) to replace this crew. The Republican Party had better redefine itself more in line with traditional conservative values (including fiscal and institutitonal conservatism). Either that, or it had better step out of the way for a new conservative party that will.
Posted by: John W. | September 9, 2007 2:24 AM