Investing in the Power of our Minds

Originally Published in the November, 5 2009 edition of the Afro American Newspaper.

In this global Information Age, knowledge is the essential foundation of our empowerment, both as individuals and as a people.  For most Americans, higher education is the most certain ladder from poverty to success.

Annual earnings for Americans with bachelor's degrees are about 60 percent higher than earnings for those with a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, that earnings gap can exceed $1,000,000.

This is just the most practical reason why investing in young minds is so critical to the future of our nation - and our community.  Equally important, only a better and more broadly educated society will be able to overcome all of the pressing challenges that America now faces.

 Most of us realize that higher education is a critical investment, but very few families can afford to send their children to college without receiving some help.

According to a report that the College Board recently released last week, in-state students at public universities nationwide saw their tuition and fees jump again by 6.5 percent this year.  Overall, those increases have amounted to 20 percent during the last five years.

Here in Maryland, our Governor, Legislature and public college administrations have been working hard to limit those increases.  Nevertheless, affording the cost of college remains an almost insurmountable challenge for far too many Maryland families.

When I was in college, my mother would send me notes of encouragement, often including a hard-earned five or ten dollar bill.  I will thank her for that until the day that I die.  Still, I could not have completed college nor law school without scholarships.

This is why helping others to advance their education is a very personal mission for me – both in my work in the Congress and here at home.

According to the College Board’s report, “Trends in College Pricing 2009,” the major factor that is allowing many students to afford college, despite the rapidly rising costs, has been public financial aid.

Increasing the federal government’s need-based aid to college students has long been a priority for me.  I firmly believe that these financial aid programs deserve our enduring public support.

Where would friends, family and neighbors who are struggling to pay for college be without the Federal Pell Grant program that is providing an estimated $25 billion in aid to over 7 million students during this academic year?

The answer is clear.  They could not afford to go to college.

That denial of opportunity would be unacceptable in any society with a vision of a better future.

I was deeply gratified that President Obama and the Congress decided to increase the Pell Grant funding for this year.  In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we add nearly $500 to the maximum Pell Grant Award, allowing our most vulnerable college students to receive up to $5,350.

The Congress also is engaged in a major restructuring of higher education aid.  On September 17, I was proud to join 252 of my colleagues in passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.

Among other important reforms, this legislation would make annual Pell Grant appropriations mandatory and assure that they keep up with increases in the cost of living - as well as reforming the student loan programs and making qualification for federal aid more user-friendly.

We still have more to accomplish.  Yet, I am gratified by the progress that we are making with President Obama in the White House.

Nevertheless, I also realize that too many prospective students are discouraged from even trying to attend college by the rising costs.  They do not know about the help that they can receive through publicly funded financial aid.

That is why I have sponsored free, annual “How to Pay for College” seminars every year since I was first elected to the Congress in 1996.

This year’s 13th annual seminar will take place on Monday, November 9, 5-7 P.M., at the Central Branch of Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street.

During these free events - open to the public - experts will cover the college application process, discuss how to fill out the federal financial aid application, and provide guidance on how to successfully obtain a wide range of scholarships and low-interest loans.

In addition to knowledgeable advice from financial aid experts, more than twenty institutions of higher learning will be on hand to share their wisdom about the college application process and the scholarship assistance available at their schools.

We all have a personal interest in assuring that students who live in the Baltimore region are aware of the financial assistance that is available and understand the process by which they can obtain help with their college expenses.

By investing in the power of our minds, we can assure a brighter future for our children and the generations of Americans yet unborn.

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings represents Maryland’s Seventh Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.