Freedom to Achieve
"College is part of the American dream, it shouldn't be part of the American financial nightmare. I'm fighting for students who want access to higher education and the freedom to achieve the American dream."
-Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
-Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Senator Mikulski is fighting for students and their families to have access to higher education.
Fighting for Families and Students
Senator Mikulski is working to ensure that higher education is an affordable option by fighting to:
- Double Pell grants from $4,731 per year to $9,462 per year.
- Cut interest loans in half from 6.8% to 3.4%.
- Provide loan forgiveness for public sector employees, such as military service members, police oficers, teachers and nurses.
- Designate a new $510 million grant program to increase recruitment of minority students into science, technology, engineering, mathematics, nursing and teaching fields at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
- Increase assistance to community colleges so they can have the resources needed to increase enrollment and keep tuition affordable.
- Simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by creating a new 2-page form (EZ-FAFSA).
- Create grant programs for students who want to become teachers:
- Undergraduate who commit to teaching in high-need schools will receive $4,000 per year for up to 4 years.
- Graduate students who commit to teaching a high-need subject in high-need schools will receive $4,000 per year for up to 2 years.
Helping American Remain Competitive
Senator Mikulski is committed to giving students the tools and opportunities they need to participate in the global economy and fighting for legislation that :
- Expands the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to recruit and train math and science teachers in high-need school districts.
- Strengthens skills of thousands of math and science teachers by establishing training and education programs at summer institutes hosted at the national laboratories and by increasing support for the Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century program at NSF.
- Creates partnerships between national laboratories and local high-need high schools to establish centers of excellence in math and science education.
- Continues to improve the visa process for international students and scholars to attract and retain the best and brightest.
Supporting Higher Education Institutions in Maryland
Senator Mikulski fights every year for critical funding to help Maryland's universities continue to lead the nation in science and technology research, and provide programs that meet the day-to-day needs of Marylanders by:
- Adovcating for funding for the University System of Maryland's 13 universities and research institutions to support projects such as:
- Making University of Maryland at College Park the permanent headquarters for Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
- To develop groundbreaking technologies for U.S. intelligence community.
- Expanding the Chesapeake Information Based Aeronautics Consortium made up of Morgan State University, Bowie State University and the University of Maryland at Eastern Shore.
- For continued development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) aviation
safety security programs.
- For continued development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) aviation
- Supporting recruitment efforts, curriculum and faculty development at the Institute for Educators in Nursing and Health Professions at University of Maryland, Baltimore.
- Making University of Maryland at College Park the permanent headquarters for Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)