Good morning Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee:
It is once again my honor to appear before you to discuss the Fiscal Year 2001 budget request for Howard University. With me today are Dr. Antoine Garibaldi, the University Provost; Mr. Thomas Elzey, Executive Vice President, and Dr. Floyd Malveaux, Vice President for Health Affairs. I am also accompanied by Dr. Claudio Prieto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin my testimony with an overview of the University. The Committee is well aware that Howard University is the only Carnegie Level I Research university serving a predominantly African-American population in the Nation. It is worth noting that our faculty represent a broad cross-section of America, almost 3/4 of whom have earned degrees from one of the 88 Carnegie level I Research universities in the Nation.
We have provided the Committee with copies of three documents containing information on Howard University. Our first document is FACTS 2000, which provides a snapshot of the University in a number of important areas. The second document is SERVICE 2000, a compendium of more than 100 examples of activities and programs that the University has dedicated to community and national service.
Our third document is SPECIAL REPORTS FOR THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, and contains:
As you will recall, The Strategic Framework for Action, the strategic plan for the University, calls for achievement in four strategic areas:
After 42 months, I am pleased to report that we have successfully completed the overwhelming majority of our measurable objectives in each of the four strategic areas.
Howard University was created by the Congress to be a national university serving a national need, and 132 years later we maintain fidelity to that mission. As the two following exhibits demonstrate, Howard students, like our faculty, come from every corner of the Nation and from all 50 States.
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Howard University is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Exhibit 3 shows the 32 different agencies that have also accredited schools and colleges of the University.
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4 illustrates the performance of entering freshmen relative to all African-American students and to all test-takers. It shows that while overall test scores declined slightly nationwide, the average score for Howard students was 192 points higher than the national average for African Americans and higher than the national average for all test takers.
Exhibit 4
As you may recall, in 1997 Howard University enrolled more National Achievement Scholars than any other university in the Nation. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced that Howard University enrolled 41 National Achievement Scholars in the freshman class this year. The Achievement Program honors outstanding high school students. These students typically have outstanding high school scholastic records, rank in the top 10 percent of their classes, earn high grades, take heavy course loads, and participate in volunteer and extracurricular activities. Howard University continues to lead the Nation in producing African-American graduates at all degree levels. Exhibit 5 shows the number of advanced degrees awarded by the University last year.
Exhibit 5
Exhibit 6 shows the number of University employees over the period of 1991-1999.
Exhibit 6
Exhibit 7 shows that research productivity has again increased over the last two years.
Exhibit 7
Exhibit 8 is a portrayal of changes in the endowment of the University since 1988. The book value has tripled during that period.
Exhibit 8
Exhibit 9 demonstrates conclusively that the University serves a national constituency whose alumni reside in all of the 50 States. Nineteen States have more than 500 Howard alumni, 13 have more than 1,000, and six have more than 2,000.
Exhibit 9
Exhibit 10, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Center (ISE), will upgrade the University's facilities in the basic sciences, as well as provide a robust foundation for substantive research in emerging fields. It will be the principal intellectual resource for interdisciplinary research activities for the entire University, increasing the existing inadequate supply of talented students of color in the sciences. Three of the overarching programmatic areas of activity include Biomedicine, Computational Sciences and Engineering.
Exhibit 10
Two major themes of biomedical research will be pursued: (1) cellular and molecular biology and (2) genetics of complex diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans. The primary activity in cellular and molecular biology is the Human Genome Project that involves gene mapping genomic analysis, and investigating human DNA polymorphism.
As research becomes more sophisticated and centered on molecular structures and interactions, the need for mathematical modeling and computational analyses becomes more apparent. Science can now combine the experimental components with theoretical and computational approaches to better understand processes and, ultimately, systems. At Howard University we stress interaction among mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and computer-based scientists who serve as the backbone of theoretical and computational sciences.
Research on metals, ceramics, polymers, semiconductors and combinations of materials called composites, unites both science and engineering. On the science side, we find the application of biology, biochemistry, chemistry and physics. On the engineering side, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineers focus on processing and assessing properties. The central objective is to generate and apply relevant knowledge and insights to effectively produce new materials that solve important problems and improve our overall quality of life.
One of our most important national goals is the search for an appropriate ecological balance in a time of robust economics. Environmental monitoring, and issues such as biodegradation and the remediation of soil and water pollution are critical areas of inquiry.
The complexity of modern day scientific questions argues strongly for a multidisciplinary approach to research and that is precisely what the ISE is designed to do.
Howard University has awarded more than 90,000 degrees. For 133 years, it has been a major avenue of postsecondary access and opportunity for many Americans. It has taken the underprepared, underfunded, high-potential student and has produced more successful, prominent, professional tax-paying citizens than any other university of similar size and complexity.
Finally, I want to thank the members of this Committee publicly for their investment in Howard. Your support enables the University to provide a comprehensive, high-quality curriculum that makes it possible for students with ability, who come from families of limited means, to become contributing, productive participants in the mainstream of American society.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my opening statement. As you may recall, last year Trustee Jack Kemp introduced one of our students, Ms Carla Peterman, Howard University's 1999 Rhodes Scholar. I would like now to introduce one of Howard University's distinguished research faculty, Dr. Georgia Dunston.
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