Homeland Security Bill May Have Funds for Higher Education
By Charles Dervarics
The new homeland security bill to clear Congress has provisions that may provide funds for colleges and universities. Included in the bill are funds to create training centers for medical and police staff — called first responders — who would serve on the front lines in any terrorist attack. Many states also have created their own homeland security task forces.
Among those seeking funds for such training are community colleges, which are "the best equipped and prepared educational institutions to meet this unprecedented challenge," says George R. Boggs, chief executive officer of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Elsewhere, the new Homeland Security department likely would have funding to promote promising research programs, many of which would begin in higher education research facilities. These programs are likely to work much as current Pentagon contracts for colleges and universities on research and development, aides say.
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