Spring Break
Top Senate Republican visits SJSU
Erik Lacayo
Issue date: 2/21/06 Section: News
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Frist, R-Tenn., highlighted the importance of staying competitive with India and China during San Jose State University President Don Kassing's weekly staff meeting in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Joint Library.
"This is the heart of innovation, creativity, job creation and that's a spirit I want to continue to cultivate and use as a model of centers, areas and regions that can benefit all over the country," Frist said about his reasoning for visiting the Silicon Valley.
On Feb. 8, President George W. Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act, which according to Frist, authorizes about $3 billion for SMART Grants. The grants will provide an additional $4,000 per year for Pell Grant-eligible students who maintain a 3.0 GPA and study science, math, engineering and some foreign languages.
"We're fully expecting money to start going out to students in August in time for the Fall," said Meredith Davis, the senator's legislative assistant.
While the federal government is providing more aid for math and sciences, about $12.7 billion was cut from student loan funding.
"(SMART Grants are) paid for by deficiencies that are gained in the education spending around the country," Frist explained after the meeting. "By getting more value out of each dollar invested, we are able to get about $3 billion to the SMART Grant program."
Frist described the new grant program as "a very expensive experiment," but said something must be done because 90 percent of the world's engineers in five years will come from India and China.
"It's very targeted. It's not perfect," Frist said about providing federal dollars to certain areas of study. "I can be criticized for it because people will say 'you're trying to target federal spending too much' - indeed I am. Not all federal spending needs to be targeted but it highlights the problem itself."
Frist, a board-certified heart surgeon who spent time at the Stanford University Medical Center in the 1980s, joked that he is biased toward the sciences.
Arash Shokouh, a senior majoring in computer engineering, was one of several students at the meeting.
"I didn't get a lot of the nitty-gritty of where this money is coming from," Shokouh said. "It seems like a lot of funds are being refocused to specific areas."
Kassing said the federal government needs to continue finding ways to promote math and science education.
"It's particularly important in these disciplines to help reinvigorate interest in the disciplines and acknowledge the role we play in our competitiveness in the global economy," Kassing said. "It doesn't mean that you don't care about the other (disciplines). That's the challenge in high education today; fishing around trying to meet all the needs. It's hard to do.
Engineering students were invited by College of Engineering Dean Belle Wei to speak with the majority leader.
"I thought it was a good first step," said Drew Kimball, a senior majoring in civil engineering. "There is definitely a need for policy and money."
Kimball, who is applying to several graduate schools in California, asked Frist if graduate students will be eligible for the grants in the future. Frist said graduate students are not eligible for the grants, but he would discuss that possibility in the Senate.
John Weinerth, a junior in electrical engineering, said he is not eligible for a grant because of his parents' income level.
"With the extra money that the SMART Grant offers, it would be worth claiming independent," he said.
During the meeting, Frist was asked about grant money being provided to students seeking a credential to teach math or sciences.
"The importance of contributing to the education of teachers, which was not specifically addressed in SMART grants, is a next step I'll take to Washington and address to my colleagues," Frist said after the meeting.
Terry Christensen, a SJSU political science professor who did not attend the meeting, said many presidential candidates try to create ties with Silicon Valley. It has been widely observed that the majority leader would be a potential presidential candidate in 2008.
"Many potential candidates test the waters with different constituencies," Christensen said. A lot of them are going to pass through Silicon Valley. There's a substantial amount of money in the Valley."
Frist said he chose to speak at SJSU because students on this campus are the targets for the new grants.
"SJSU will be a beneficiary of SMART Grants," he said while leaving the King Library. "I will look forward to coming back and seeing how effective the SMART program is and using this as a benchmark."
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