Pell Institute Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Pell Grants  
 

Celebrating Success: 40 Years of Pell Grants.

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Arne Duncan

Cross-posted from the White House Blog.

Chances are you know someone who wouldn’t have gone to college without the help of a Pell Grant. Since 1972, more than 60 million Americans have received financial assistance to earn their degree.

Forty years ago, our Nation codified a commitment to bringing higher education within reach for every American by creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant—later renamed the Federal Pell Grant after Senator Claiborne Pell, to honor his efforts in creating the program. On this anniversary, we reflect on four decades of progress toward fulfilling that fundamental promise and rededicate ourselves to making college affordable for all.

Federal Pell Grants have helped millions of Americans achieve their fullest potential by not only opening the doors to college, but also providing students the financial support necessary to complete their studies and prosper in today’s economy. That is why my Administration has prioritized Pell Grants as a source of funding they can count on each and every year. We have provided resources to support a 50 percent increase in Pell Grant recipients, giving college access to millions of additional students across our country; aggressively raised the maximum Pell Grant award to keep pace with rising costs; and strengthened the Pell Grant Program by cutting banks out of Federal student lending and delivering financial aid directly to students. By continuing to provide grants that extend educational opportunity to students, we make critical investments both in their personal success and in America’s success in the 21st century.

As we mark the 40th Anniversary of the Federal Pell Grant Program, we also celebrate the individuals and organizations who have worked to widen the circle of opportunity for countless Americans through higher education. Today and tomorrow, let us recommit to empowering the next generation with the tools and resources they need to achieve their dreams. I am confident that, through programs like Pell Grants, our Nation will reach our goal of once again leading the world in college completion by the year 2020.

Senator Claiborne Pell, the chief sponsor of the program, liked to say, ‘Any student with the talent, desire, and drive, should be able to pursue higher education.’ Because of his commitment and vision, millions of students from poor and working class backgrounds received the economic lifeline they need to earn a college degree. The Pell Grant program has literally transformed millions of lives.

In today’s global economy that’s more important than ever. High school graduation is no longer a path leading to a good paying job. College, or other postsecondary training, has never been more important to finding meaningful and substantial employment.

More students than ever are relying on Pell grants, and if we are to reach our goal of out-innovating, out-educating and out-building the rest of the world, we need to continue our investment in Pell.

Arne Duncan is the US Secretary of Education


 
  Pell Institute Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Pell Grants  

Lois Dickson Rice, former vice president of the College Board, received the Pell Grant Legacy Award, and former Pell Grant recipients were honored for their achievements during a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the program in New York City on Friday, September 7. The event was cosponsored by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the College Board.


U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, and Lois Dickson Rice

Martha Kanter, Under Secretary of Education, launched the daylong event with remarks. She was joined by Dallas Pell, daughter of Sen. Claiborne Pell, as well as Clay Pell, the senator’s grandson. His family has called the creation of the Pell Grants his proudest legislative achievement.

Dr. Rice, who is now the Miriam K. Carliner Scholar in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, was honored for her advocacy of portable student financial aid. Others recognized included four notable former Pell Grant recipients, representing the four decades of the federal program: Jamie Merisotis, president of the Lumina Foundation for Education; Maura Casey, former member of the New York Times editorial board; Vy Truong, an attorney in Suffolk County, MA, and Jasmine Johnson, recent graduate of Stephens College and a graduate student in the Columbia University School of Social Work. Tom Wolanin, former staff director of the House Postsecondary Education Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, presided over the event.


(l-r) Chandra Taylor Smith, Director of the Pell Institute and Vice President for Research, Council for Opportunity in Education; Clay Pell, Grandson of Senator Clayborne Pell; Jasmine Johnson, Graduate student in the Columbia University School of Social Work; Vy Truong, Attorney in Suffolk County, MA; Lois Dickson Rice, Miriam Carliner Scholar in Economic Studies, Brookings Institution; Jamie Merisotis, President of the Lumina Foundation for Education; Maura Casey, Former member of the New York Times editorial board; Dallas Pell, Daughter of Senator Claiborne Pell; and Arnold Mitchem, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education