Congress officially has killed it, but the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship program lives on--at least temporarily. A little-known provision of Congress's mammoth budget bill allows for continuation grants under the program, named for the African American cabinet officer under President Jimmy Carter. It supports under-represented minorities and women in graduate, professional and doctoral programs.

Congress earlier voted to kill the program, saying it duplicated another federal initiative, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN). Graduate schools participating in GAANN must recruit students from under-represented groups to remain eligible for assistance.

Just before adjournment, however, Congress authorized the use of 1997 GAMIN funds for continuation grants in the Harris program. The rationale behind the move was that GAANN had not scheduled a new grant competition during fiscal year 1996, according to the Council of Graduate Schools. There are no funds available for new Harris grants, however.

Recipients of Harris funds consistently cited the program as a major source for minority and female scholars, particularly with financial needs. Also eligible for continuation grants under GAANN in 1997 is the Javits Fellowship program, which supports outstanding students in arts, humanities and social science.

Lawmakers voted earlier to terminate this program as well. Congress "has, in effect, consolidated these [three] programs," according to the council. The Clinton administration had made a similar recommendation earlier.

Congress allotted $30 million for GAANN in fiscal year 1997. The Education Department (ED) recently announced a new GAANN grant competition with $6.5 million available. Some of the remaining funds: could go to the Javits and Harris continuation grants.

GAANN's $30-million appropriation for 1997 is a $2.75 million increase above its fiscal 1996 allocation. GAANN received as little as $16 million as recently as 1990, when the Harris program was funded at a similar level.