National Asian American, Pacific Islander Advocates and Education Leaders Convene to Address Higher Education Needs of Students

Representative Mike Honda, Undersecretary Martha Kanter, Kiran Ahuja join APIASF and CARE for first annual Higher Education Summit

WASHINGTON, June 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) will convene its first annual Higher Education Summit, bringing together a multi-cultural group of several hundred political and policy leaders, higher education experts, business leaders and students.

"Far too often, AAPI higher education students are invisible or misunderstood in policy discussions. We are convening this conference to raise awareness of their needs and craft recommendations to address them," Neil Horikoshi, President & Executive Director of APIASF said. "President Obama has set bold targets in boosting access to higher education in the U.S. By bringing together a wide spectrum of experts, advocates and policy makers, we will demonstrate how crucial AAPI students are to the President's goals."

The summit will address the obstacles to access and success for underserved Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) students and build a case for needed federal policies, increased investments, and improved research and data collection.  Summit attendees will utilize the recommendations of a National Commission on AAPI Research in Education (CARE) report which combats the myth that AAPI students are universally high achieving and urges they be part of higher education reform discussions.

"The CARE report sheds light on how the needs of the AAPI population are relevant to America's commitment to improving access and success in higher education," said, Associate Professor of Higher Education at New York University and Principal Investigator of the CARE Project. "At the summit we will take the vital next step by working with policy makers to address those needs."

WHAT & WHEN:

9:00 AM – 10:45 AM  Opening plenary featuring Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), Department of Education Undersecretary Martha Kanter and Dr. Robert Teranishi, Principal Investigator of the CARE Project

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM  Working group breakout sessions on underserved students, minority serving institutions, and leadership & workforce development

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM  Closing plenary featuring Kiran Ahuja, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Neil Horikoshi, President & Executive Director of APIASF

5:30 PM  Reception to honor the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus featuring Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) and The Honorable Ruby G. Moy, Acting Executive Director of APAICS

WHERE:

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20004

The summit is made possible through the generous support of presenting sponsors Walmart and USA Funds.

"Walmart is proud to sponsor APIASF's Higher Education Summit. We recognize we have a role in finding the most effective ways to graduate more Americans from college and view this event as an opportunity to learn how we may better support our mission," said Tom Mars, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Walmart Stores, Inc. "We are committed to providing accessible, effective, quality education for our associates and will continue to work with organizations and initiatives that develop broader education opportunities in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community."

For more information on the APIASF Higher Education Summit, including a complete agenda, click here.  To read the full CARE report, "Federal Higher Education Policy Priorities and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community," click here.

About APIASF:

Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted solely to providing scholarships for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA). Since 2003, APIASF has provided a critical bridge to higher education for APIA students across the country by awarding more than $3 million in scholarships to deserving students. APIASF manages two scholarship programs: APIASF's general scholarship and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. APIASF's first annual Higher Education Summit is made possible through the generous support of our presenting sponsors: Walmart and USA Funds. For more information on APIASF, please visit www.apiasf.org.

About CARE:

The National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) was formed through a collaboration of the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University, the Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy at New York University, and the College Board. For more information on CARE, please visit http://www.nyu.edu/projects/care.

SOURCE Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund