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The Honorable Charles W. Stenholm 

 page three 

 April 2, 1993 



educational improvements while those same schools receive many- 

 millions more each year to conduct appropriate research and 

 extension. The Graduate Training Fellowships, Minority Scholars 

 Program and 1890 Capacity Building Grants are similar underfunded 

 programs in higher education. This extreme underfunding helps 

 create the excessive emphasis on research in university faculty 

 reward systems and is a specific example of the issue that has 

 concerned the President's Science Committees and the House Science, 

 Space and Technology Committee. 



Obviously then this is a national concern that Congress could 

 readily address by significantly increasing the funding for higher 

 education programs in the USDA, CSRS budget. 



Your committee could do much to ameliorate this imbalance in 

 USDA support by assuring a key role for the office of higher 

 education in the policy making levels of the USDA. The ascendency 

 of higher education programs at the USDA through both funding 

 increases and an elevated role in policy decisions is an obvious 

 adjustment necessary in any plan for USDA reorganization. 



Again, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before your 

 committee and answer these questions. Our organization stands 

 ready to help you and your colleagues wrestle with the important 

 issues facing the USDA, American agriculture and our national 

 competitiveness . 



Sincerely, 



Jim Mortensen 



Chair, Academic Programs Section 



Board on Agriculture 



NASULGC 



JM/kms 



68-792 - 93 - 7 



