FHWA ADDS FIVE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES TO HOST SITES FOR NATIONAL SUMMER TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE |
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Federal Highway Administration
April 10, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 10, 2000
Contact: Karen Whitney
Tel.: (202) 366-0660
FHWA 23-00
Transportation Awards Go to Nine Schools
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) singled out nine universities for awards and added five colleges and universities to the 30 existing host sites for FHWA’s National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI).
"President Clinton and Vice President Gore have continuously supported increasing educational funding and programs because it is the key to opportunity," said Slater. "All of our host sites continue to provide invaluable, hands-on transportation experience to the participants, but the nine recognized today are especially noteworthy – they made especially important contributions to help ensure the program’s success."
The five added today are the College of Menominee Nation, Keshna, Wis.; Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, Minn.; Hampton University, Hampton, Va.; University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Md.; and Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas.
The NSTI is one of several educational initiatives supporting the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program, a DOT educational initiative to reach and challenge one million students of all ages to focus on their math, science and technology skills so that they are prepared to become the transportation workforce of the 21st century. To date, NSTI host sites include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Institutions of Higher Education (MIHE) across the nation.
Additionally, nine 1999 host sites received special awards and recognition for their contributions to the success of the program. These were announced during a NSTI 2000 Kickoff and Transportation Workshop today in Atlanta.
The award recipients include the following:
In addition, NSTI Meritorious Achievement Awards were presented to six universities: Arizona State University, Florida International University, Jackson State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Texas Transportation Institute and Virginia State University.
As we seek to develop a skilled workforce to meet the transportation needs of the nextcentury, FHWA must continue to take steps to ensure that young students see the importance of transportation to economic growth for the country and the potential for career opportunities in transportation," FHWA Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle said.
The summer transportation institute dates back to 1993 when the program beganas one of several DOT-FHWA educational initiatives. The first pilot institute was developed as a result of an on-going partnership between South Carolina State University (SCSU), the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and FHWA’s South Carolina Division Office. It was conducted on the campus of SCSU and had an enrollment of 20 ninth and tenth grade students from across South Carolina.
In 1998, Congress authorized funding for the program under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which recognized the success of the five-year pilot NSTI and led to the development of the current NSTI program. In addition to FHWA support, the institutes receive assistance from local chapters of the National Urban League, state departments of transportation, private sector companies and other federal agencies. Participating colleges and universities host the institutes and provide housing and instructors for each session.
In FY 1999, 30 colleges and universities (host sites) and more than 645 secondary students fromacross the country participated in the NSTI program. It features a four-week introduction to all modes of transportation and to careers in transportation as well as academic enhancement activities.
The host sites in addition to the five added today include Alabama A&M University, Normal, Ala.; Albany State University, Albany, Ga.; Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.; Benedict College, Columbia, S.C.; Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla.; California State University, Los Angeles; Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Cheyney, Pa.; City College of New York, New York; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta; Delaware State University, Dover, Del.; Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, N.C.; Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Fla.; Florida International University, Miami; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss.; Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Ky.; Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, Wis.; Lincoln University, Chester, Pa.; Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.; North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C.; Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Wash.; South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, S.C.; Southern University at Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, La.; Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn.; Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.; University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Ark.; University of Missouri Rolla, Rolla, Mo.; Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.; and West Virginia State University, Institute, W.Va.