Norton and Voinovich to Be Honored This Evening for Raising D.C. College Graduation Rates

June 23, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. will speak at the D.C. College Access Program (DC-CAP) graduation celebration for recipients of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DC-TAG) today, June 23, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., at the JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave, NW.

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), the Senate sponsor of the D.C. College Act, who is retiring from the U.S. Senate, will be honored at the ceremony along with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The college graduates attending the ceremony were DC-TAG recipients, which is funded by Congress and received tuition assistance from DC-CAP led by DC-CAP Chairman, Donald Graham

The D.C. College Act, introduced by Norton and Voinovich, became law in 1999, effectively created DC-TAG, a program that provides higher education opportunities for D.C. students equal to those available to other Americans, by granting up to $10,000 annually for in-state tuition at most public colleges, and up to $2,500 annually to attend private institutions in D.C. and the region. The program is a substitute for a state university system in the District, which unlike every state, has only one public university, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

"Senator Voinovich has been an indefatigable sponsor of our bill," Norton said. "There were times when we would have been lost without him. As a former Mayor of Cleveland and Governor of Ohio, Senator Voinovich needed no education from us about the unequal treatment D.C. students faced. With his help, more than 14,000 D.C. students have reaped the benefits of this program in the last ten years, doubling the college attendance rate for D.C. students, with many of these students being the first in their families to attend college."

To date, DC-TAG is the largest college access grant in the District of Columbia. It has increased college attendance rates to 60 percent, ten points above the national average, and has served 14,458 D.C. students. Over the last decade, the program has also provided $219 million in tuition grants to more than 300 colleges and universities nationwide.

The DC-CAP is a non-profit organization that encourages and enables D.C. public high school students to enter and graduate from college. With corporate and foundation support, DC-CAP provides such services as college application and financial aid assistance, parent education training, and individual and group counseling.