NEWS - Texas Southern University

NEWSTigerWalkPaved inGold:From left, Dr. Shirlette Milton, Dr. MitchellAllen, Regent Harry Johnson, PresidentSlade, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Dr.Polly Tuner and Provost Bobby Wilson.University Receives Over$15 Million in Federal FundsMore than $15 million in federalfunding, including grants andcontracts from the U.S. Departmentof Education, National Institutesof Health and NASA, have beenawarded to TSU thus far for fiscalyear 2004, a notable achievementat what is just the half-way pointfor the year. Included in the record$15.6 million in federal dollars is$1.2 million from a five-year, $6 millionNASA grant. The money willbe used for the Research Center forBiotechnology and EnvironmentalHealth, which will be housed inTSU’s new science building, slatedfor construction beginning in fall2004.The federal funding also includes more than $400,000 in earmarkedcongressional appropriations for programs in the Collegeof Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the College of Science andTechnology.“Texas Southern University is an outstanding institution ofresearch,” said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in a March 2 press conferenceon the steps of TSU’s Granville Sawyer Auditorium. “It isimportant for both scholars and students to realize that TSU is now aworld-class research institution. You may not feel it now, but this is ahistoric day. There’s no turning back now...TSU is on the move.”Despite a sluggish economy and federal budget tightening, Leeannounced her success in securing two generous appropriations earmarkedfor TSU. One provides $100,000 to the College of Pharmacyand Health Sciences for the establishment of a health professionsprogram; the other supplies $300,000 to the College of Science andTechnology for a minority engineering program.“These funds are helping to ensure the dreams of… deservingstudents to become engineers, scientists or health professionals,” saidPresident Slade. “Most importantly, this funding helps us to increasethe participation and graduation of minorities in health professionsand science, engineering and technology fields.”News conference participants expressed hope that the fundingwould create opportunities for growth and development. MichaelHicks, an electronic engineering major, praised the TSU electronicsprogram and said his scholarship from the minority engineering programhad allowed him to receive money for tuition and books. Healso mentioned that, due to his training at TSU, companies such asHalliburton, ExxonMobil and Texas Instruments had initiated contactwith him. “Everyday, I’m surrounded by outstanding faculty thatreally care about us and want us to succeed in education,” he said. “Itis truly a blessing to be in this position.”FederalFundingHighlightsThe U. S. Department ofEducation awarded $10.2million to the College ofPharmacy and HealthSciences – COPHS – andthe College of ContinuingEducation; this includes$1.7 million to the MinorityScholar/ChampionResearch Training Project.National Institutes ofHealth awarded $1.9 millionawarded to COPHS;this includes $1.3 million tothe Institute for Researchinto Health Issues of theDisadvantaged.NASA awarded $1.7 millionto the College ofScience and Technology;this includes $6 million tothe NASA Research Centerfor Biotechnology andEnvironmental Health.The U.S. Departmentof Transportationawarded $616,241 to theCollege of Science andTechnology; this includes$161,700 to be utilizedby the interagency contractbetween the TexasTransportation Institute andTexas Southern.The U.S. Departmentof Health and HumanServices awarded$771,873 to COPHS; thisincludes $650,00 for scholarshipsfor disadvantagedstudents.The National ScienceFoundation awarded $1million to the HoustonAlliance for MinorityParticipation Project,which is under the umbrellaof the College of Scienceand Technology.GENERATIONS OF PRIDE • Summer 2004 23