Washington, DC - Congress voted to pass H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act today that includes legislation introduced by Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns to increase grant funding for minority serving institutions, which have continually faced significant shortages in funding for technology infrastructure.

This portion of the higher education reauthorization -- formerly introduced and passed in the House by Rep. Towns and Rep. Randy Forbes as H.R. 694, the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act -- will provide up to $250 million in the first year and much more for the next four years in grants for minority serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and Hispanic serving institutions.

“This is great news for our Minority Serving Institutions, particularly our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Students enrolled in HBCU’s need all of the necessary state-of-the-art tools that will allow them to compete in a global society,” said Congressman Towns of the inclusion of his legislation in the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

“Bridging the digital divide has been a particular priority for me throughout my time in Congress,” said Congressman Forbes. “The United States needs to maintain its leadership role in the future global economy, and one of the best ways to do that is to graduate students that have the capacity to be the world’s best and brightest.  By ensuring that American students, no matter what institution they attend, have access to important technologies, we will increase the number of qualified candidates that American companies can utilize to meet their workforce demands. I have sponsored MSI legislation with Congressman Towns in the past three Congresses, and am pleased that, this year, this important piece of legislation will finally become law.”

Specifically, the language of the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity will:

Purchase digital and wireless network technologies and infrastructure equipment for campus wiring, equipment upgrades;

Develop and provide technology education services;
Provide technical assistance through workshops, distance learning and other technology applications;
Provide professional development for faculty and administrators responsible for education, with an emphasis on adapting all modes of instruction to include technology;
Implement joint projects and consortia with other MSI’s to provide technology education;
Foster the use of information communications technology to increase engineering, math, and science research. 

Together, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HIS’s), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU’s) serve the largest concentrations of Hispanic-American, African-American, and Native-American higher education students on more than 300 campuses.

“I am thrilled to see the inclusion of this critical grant funding for MSI’s in the Higher Education Opportunity Act,” said Towns. “This bill establishes an important foundation in closing the digital divide and insuring equal opportunity for all students.”

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