William H. Gray, III Testifies before the Senate About Impact of the Digital Divide on Minority Serving Institutions

The College Fund (UNCF)
Wednesday, 27 February 2002

Gray Issues Strong Support For The Digital Network Technology Program Act

William H. Gray, III, President and CEO of the United Negro College Fund and former U.S. Congressman, testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology & Space today, about the impact of the Digital Divide on minority serving institutions.

Gray's testimony detailed the challenges that minority serving institutions face in upgrading their technology infrastructures and expressed strong support for S. 414, The Digital Network Technology Program Act. Gray believes this Act would help reduce the disparities that exist between majority institutions and minority serving institutions.

In his testimony, Gray charged, "the digital divide threatens to deny minority students, our professors, and our institutions the competitiveness they need to overcome the remaining vestiges imposed by race and economic segregation in America."

The bill, S. 414, will provide direct grants to eligible institutions, or consortia of eligible institutions: (1) to acquire hardware and software; (2) to build technology infrastructure, i.e. wiring, platforms and networks; and (3) to train institutional personnel to use both the software and hardware and to plan for the future use of technology.

Gray explained how the bill would provide a crucial and necessary vehicle for directing federal resources to the solution of an urgent problem—citing that compared to other colleges, private black colleges have very small endowments and do not have the resources to upgrade their technological infrastructures. He added that the Bill encourages partnerships with the private sector, while avoiding the creation of a barrier to institutional progress and applauded S. 414's recognition of the need to waive the "matching" requirement for certain institutions.

In closing, the committee was urged to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the equitable distribution of appropriated funds to the range of eligible institutions that will participate in the program.

In June 2000, the United Negro College Fund launched an $80 million Technology Enhancement Capital Campaign aimed at strengthening the technological infrastructures of UNCF's member colleges and universities. Since launching the campaign, UNCF member colleges and universities have received faculty and personnel training, software, and hardware that includes 2,000 desktop computers, 1,500 network printers, as well as hundreds of hubs, switches, and network routers.

William H. Gray, III is the president of the United Negro College Fund and a former U.S. Congressman for Philadelphia. Gray was in Congress for 12 years and became the first African American to Chair the Budget Committee, the Democratic Caucus, and to serve as Majority Whip. After leaving Congress, he served as President Clinton's advisor on Haiti.

The United Negro College Fund is the nation's oldest African American higher education assistance organization. UNCF enhances the quality of education by raising operating funds for its 39 member colleges and universities and providing financial assistance to deserving students attending UNCF and other American colleges and universities. UNCF administers more than 450 scholarships and fellowships to students and faculty who attend its member colleges and universities, other HBCUs, and majority institutions throughout the country. Since 1944, UNCF has raised nearly $1.8 billion to promote higher education and has helped more than 300,000 students earn undergraduate and graduate degrees.

For more information, or to contact The College Fund (UNCF), see their website at: www.uncf.org