SENATE VOTE FREEZES PELL GRANT AND SLASHES LAAP - Last week the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services and Education for the 2002 fiscal year, but funding for two key continuing
education programs failed to materialize. The $250 increase in the Pell grant maximum to
$4000, though approved by both the House and the Senate, was not funded. The White
House Office of Management and Budget had warned in a letter to Senators last week that
because of budget shortfalls in the Pell Grant program and unexpected growth in demand for
grants, there would not be enough new money to raise the maximum award for 2002. The
Senate also heeded President Bush's recommendation to cut money for new awards under
the Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships (LAAP), the distance education program
begun by President Clinton in 1999. Existing awards, however, will be paid in full. (E-News
From UCEA, #49, 13 Nov 01) For the UCEA Web site go to: http://www.ucea.org

NSF FUNDS USC NATIONAL TECH NETWORK - The National Science Foundation
awarded the University of Southern California a $600,000 grant to establish a National
Technology Transfer and Commercialization Network. The project, estimated to cost $1.2
million, aims to spur innovation and commercialization of new technologies in the US. The
network will partner MBAs with inventors to develop new products and to potentially become
stakeholders in the resulting new commercial ventures. Network partners would have access
to resources for rapid prototyping and commercial assessment, distance education in
commercialization skills, conferences and visual collaboration technology. In addition to
several universities, charter members include: PricewaterhouseCoopers, research lab NASA
Ames and the National Collegiate Innovators and Inventors Alliance (NCIIA). For more
information, visit: http://www.marshall.usc.edu (Syllabus e-News, Resources, and Trends for
30 Oct 01)