[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16] [Senate] [Page 23213] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]LILLY ENDOWMENT INC. GRANT TO TRIBAL COLLEGES Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the Lilly Endowment for their exceptional contributions on behalf of educational opportunities for minorities. In particular, I would like to commend them on their recent announcement awarding $30 million to the American Indian College Fund. These dollars would be used to replace buildings at 30 tribal colleges on reservations in the West and Midwest. It is important that we continue to support ways to maintain educational opportunities for tribal colleges, who receive a significantly lower level of funding per student than mainstream community colleges. Because of these scarce resources, and the need to maintain and increase academic standards, capital improvements have been forced to the bottom of the priority list. This private donation from the Lilly Endowment is the largest ever made to a Native American organization. These funds will be used to pay for much needed construction of modern classrooms, labs and libraries. This extraordinary contribution will allow these colleges to give their students the best educational opportunities possible. It is critical that Tribal colleges have the resources to provide a combination of traditional academics and Native American culture for their students. American Indian students who attend tribal schools are far more likely to succeed at four year institutions. More Native Americans have been attending college, but still at a far lower rate than members of other minority groups. We need to ensure that they are helped to reach their full potential. As a Senator for a state with 7 tribal colleges, I understand the important role they play in the Tribes' hopes for future generations. Academic success is key to raising the standard of living and quality of life for all tribal members. Mr. President, I feel we need to do everything in our power until we are successful in addressing the many challenges facing the education needs of our American Indian population. I salute Lilly Endowment's increasingly generous efforts towards this goal. During my time in the Senate I have fought, and will continue to work to help make education accessible and affordable to all Montanans. Tribal colleges are a priority to me. I will continue to look for ways to increase federal spending at these institutions. ____________________