from low-income families who could not, without such financial assistance, pursue a course of study at the school. Scholarships may cover tuition, fees, books, and living expenses, up to $2,500 per year. The high costs of medical and dental education and the paucity of scholarship aid have resulted in a disproportionate number of medical and dental students being drawn from families able to pay for expensive professional education. In 1963, nearly half--49 percent--of medical students were from the 20 percent of the Nation's families having incomes of $10,000 or more, and 29 percent came from the five percent of families with incomes of $15,000 or more. On the other hand, considerable aid is available for certain graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree. More than four-fifths of graduate students in the life sciences received nonrefundable grants, averaging $2,700 in 1962-63. In contrast, less than one-third of medical students received nonrefundable grants, and the average amount was only $760. The scholarship program will make it possible for able students who would otherwise be deterred by financial considerations to prepare for careers in the health professions. By enabling health professions schools to compete more adequately with other disciplines for talented applicants, the program should result in raising the caliber of students in these schools. OTHER PROVISIONS The new law also authorizes establishment of a National Advisory Council on Medical, Dental, Optometric, and Podiatric Education to advise the Surgeon General on the preparation of regulations and on policy matters arising in the administration of the improvement grant and scholarship programs and in the review of applications for improvement grants. Membership of the Council will include the Surgeon General, as chairman, and 12 members selected from among leading authorities in the field of medical, dental, optometric, and podiatric education, except that at least three members must be selected from the general public. In the existing construction grant program, eligibility standards for new, nonaccredited schools were modified to provide that the Commissioner of Education may deem a school to be accredited if he finds, after consultation with the appropriate accreditation body or bodies that there is reasonable assurance that the school will meet accreditation standards prior to the beginning of the academic year following the normal graduation date of the first entering class in the school, or, if later, upon the completion of the project for which assistance is being requested and any other projects under construction or planned to be started within a reasonable time. A similar provision was added to the Nurse Training title of the Public Health Service Act by these amendments. ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER THE PROGRAM TO DATE Enactment of the Health Professions Educational Assistance Act in 1963 was the result of many years of consideration and study. The 1963 law carried out recommendations of several well-documented studies of manpower shortages in the medical field, indicating a need to increase the Nation's training capacity for physicians by 50 percent and for dentistry by 100 percent in order to maintain existing ratios of these health personnel to population in the 1970's. Despite the relatively short period of time that the legislation has been in effect, progress has been made in increasing enrollments at medical and dental schools. In 1962, first-year enrollments in medical schools totaled 9,200; the estimated total for September 1965 is 9,925. First-year enrollments in dental schools in 1962 totaled 3,680; in September 1965, an estimated 3,850. These increases are attributed in part to increased. efforts by medical and dental schools and in part to the programs of construction assistance provided under P.L. 88-129. If existing trends continue, continuation of the programs as provided by the 1965 amendments will make it possible to maintain for the 1970's the current ratios of medical, dental, and other health professions manpower to population. Construction grant projects approved and funded under P.L. 88-129 through the end of fiscal year 1965 were as follows: Source: Program Evaluation and Reports Branch, Division of Hospital and Medical Facilities, July 9, The response to the student loan program, which got underway in the fall of 1964, indicated that the program was meeting a need previously unfilled. The request for student loans was so great that the Federal funds available were sufficient to meet only 57 percent of the requests in the first year, and present indications are that Federal funds authorized for fiscal year 1966 will meet only about 75 percent of the requests. The first year of operations of the health professions student loan program is summarized below: In his health message sent to Congress on January 7, 1965, President Johnson stated, "The advance of our Nation's health in this century has, in the final measure, been possible because of the unique quality and fortunate quantity of men and women serving in our health professions. Americans respect and are grateful for our doctors, dentists, nurses, and others who serve our Nation's health. But it is clear that the future requires our support now to increase the quantity and assure the continuing high quality of such vital personnel." Enactment of P.L. 89-290 makes possible the continuation and expansion of a program of critical importance to achievement of the goal of the best of health for all citizens. We must, of course, expect continuing shortages for the next several years, but the 1970's will see the fruition and results of the foresighted action taken by Congress in this decade. SELECTED REFERENCES 89TH CONGRESS, 1ST SESSION House of Representatives, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce House Report No. 781 on H. R. 3141. August 12, 1965. 64 p. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Senate Report No. 789. September 28, 1965. 30 p. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Office of the Secretary "Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1963," Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, October 1963. "Training for Service and Leadership in the Health Professions," Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, August 1964. "The Nurse Training Act of 1964," Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, October 1964. Public Health Service Health Manpower Source Book, No. 18, Manpower in the 1960's. PHS Pub. No. 263. ASSISTANCE TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY MAJOR DISASTERS AND BASE CLOSINGS AND OTHER PROVISIONS (P.L. 89-313) Major disasters can cripple an entire community for months or years. But education of children cannot afford to wait until new funds and facilities for schools can be raised. It is therefore necessary to provide financial assistance in the construction and operation of public elementary and secondary schools in areas affected by major disasters. P.L. 89-313 adds new sections to the Impacted Areas legislation (P.L. 815 and P.L. 874) authorizing the Commissioner of Education to provide additional financial assistance to enable local educational agencies to restore damaged school facilities and to resume normal operations promptly. Certain school districts had made extensive preparation for the construction of new facilities in connection with military bases and had been given preliminary notice of entitlement to funds under P.L. 815. Since the districts were committed, P.L. 89-313 allows funds for continuing with that construction, notwithstanding the closing of certain military bases as announced November 19, 1964. The amendment to P.L. 874, which provides the same eligibility requirements for large cities as for small cities, will make some $15 million available for improvement of schools in major urban areas. Approximately 50,000 students in State-operated schools for the handicapped will benefit from provisions of the Act entitling such schools to $15 million for the improvement of education under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The State departments of education must have sufficient funds for administering in an efficient manner the recent education legislation. Fourteen States and the District of Columbia may benefit from the provisions of this legislation, which set a minimum of $75,000 per State in funds for strengthening State educational agencies. This legislative summary was prepared by Michael L. Parker, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, February 1966 THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 (P.L. 89-329) Eugenia Sullivan Passage of the Higher Education Act in the closing days of the first session of the 89th Congress marked the culmination of an unprecedented legislative commitment to the goal of educational opportunity for all Americans. As President Johnson noted in signing the Act into law on November 8, 1965, no less than two dozen education measures were enacted by Congress during 1965. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LEGISLATION Community Service and Continuing Education Program (Title I) A five-year grant program aimed at strengthening the resources of colleges and universities to assist them in providing community service programs such as continuing education, consultation, seminar, and research programs designed to assist in the solution of community problems, with particular emphasis on urban and suburban localities. College Library Assistance and Library Training and Research (Title II) Aid to college and university libraries is authorized through grants to institutions of higher learning for the acquisition of books and other library materials, for training library personnel, and for research and demonstration projects, including the development of new ways of processing, storing, and distributing information. Strengthening Developing Institutions (Title III) To assist in upgrading the academic standards of developing institutions, grants are authorized for cooperative arrangements between such institutions and other colleges, universities and business groups. Grants could be used for projects such as faculty and student exchanges, visiting scholars, faculty and administration improvement programs, and joint use of facilities such as libraries and laboratories. Title III also establishes a national teaching fellowship program to encourage qualified graduate students and junior faculty members of major institutions, colleges, and universities to teach at developing institutions. Miss Sullivan is a Program Analysis Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Health, Education, and Welfare Indicators, Dec. 1965 |