A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE                  Contact:  Jane Glickman (202) 401-1307 November 16, 1994                   Stephanie Babyak (202) 401-2311

RILEY ANNOUNCES NEW FIPSE BOARD MEMBERS

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today named one new member and reappointed four members to the national board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). He also asked Johnnetta Cole, president of Atlanta's Spelman College, to serve as board chair for a second year.

"FIPSE gives colleges and universities an opportunity to try new ideas and bring needed reforms to higher education," Riley said. "The FIPSE board contributes greatly to our efforts to enhance the quality of postsecondary education, and I welcome the talent and insight that our new and returning board members bring to this important task."

The new member is Elizabeth M. Smith, a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, and a doctoral student in American history at Rutgers University.

The four reappointed members are:

Mardee Jenrette, director of the Teaching/Learning Project, Miami-Dade Community College, Fla.
Priscilla Laws, professor of physics, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
Robert Sexton, executive director, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington, Ky. (On leave at the Harvard Graduate School of Education until January.)
Clifford V. Smith, Jr., president, General Electric Foundation, Fairfield, Ct.

All five members are appointed for terms ending August 31, 1997.

The 15-member board advises the secretary and assistant secretary for postsecondary education on priorities for grants in the FIPSE program, as well as on program development, project selection and general operations. FIPSE currently is funded at $19 million.

During its 22 years, FIPSE has funded hundreds of projects to develop innovative ideas to strengthen higher education in such varied areas as curriculum and instruction, testing and assessment, serving minority and disadvantaged students, and improving the relationship among institutions of higher education, the community, and elementary and secondary schools.