More Resources Photos

Albuquerque, NM — Today at the University of New Mexico, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-NM) joined students, education officials, and business leaders in a roundtable discussion on higher education and global competitiveness.

Secretary Spellings discussed the need to prepare American students for a global economy and make colleges and universities more affordable, accessible and accountable.

"Math, science, and higher education are the keys to preparing our children to succeed in the 21st century," said Secretary Spellings. "The President's American Competitiveness Initiative will help improve math and science teaching and encourage more students to take rigorous coursework."

Recently, Secretary Spellings announced the availability of the Academic Competitiveness and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants that provide $790 million in funding for the 2006-07 academic year and $4.5 billion over the next five years. This year, the Department of Education expects to make over $77 billion in grants, loans and other aid to over 10 million students, and it is estimated that approximately 80,000 SMART Grants will be awarded this year for junior and senior higher education students majoring in math, science, or critical foreign languages.

Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grants will provide further incentive for students to take more challenging courses in high school and to pursue college majors that are in high demand in the global economy, such as science, math, technology, and engineering.

Secretary Spellings also reinforced her recommendations on how to improve America's higher education system. The majority of her suggestions were based on recommendations by the Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Secretary Spellings created the Commission in September 2005 to develop a comprehensive strategy for postsecondary education that would better serve Americans and address the economic and workforce needs for our nation's future.

Secretary Spellings listed numerous ways to make college more accessible, affordable, and accountable. She discussed extending No Child Left Behind accountability to high schools, increasing need-based aid and streamlining the entire aid process and creating a privacy-protected higher education information system.

"To help keep America competitive, we must provide students and families with more information and more affordable access to higher education, while holding our institutions of higher learning accountable for student learning," she said.

###

Top

Back to October 2006