Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and former Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, will join Coast Guard senior leaders and the President of Morgan State University, Dr. David Wilson, on Tuesday, November 1st, aboard the newly delivered Coast Guard National Security Cutter STRATTON to sign a partnership agreement that will provide new academic opportunities to Morgan State University’s students and faculty, while supporting the Coast Guard’s efforts to recruit new officers and employees.
As Subcommittee Chairman, Cummings convened a series of hearings to examine diversity throughout the service, particularly at the Coast Guard Academy. The number of minority students attending the Coast Guard Academy has grown significantly in recent years, increasing from just 12 percent of the Class of 2012 to 34 percent of the Class of 2015. The Coast Guard has also initiated new partnerships with minority serving institutions. Today, sixteen Coast Guard flag officers and Senior Executive Service members are officially affiliated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) such as North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State University. The Coast Guard has signed 7 formal Memoranda of Agreements with HBCUs.
“The United States Coast Guard protects the waterways and borders of our nation each and every day in ways that many Americans will never see,” said Cummings. “It is critically important that the Coast Guard not only represent the people it protects, but that it affords an equal opportunity for all Americans to have the honor of serving their nation in that effort. Because of this new partnership, new doors will open to Morgan State University students – doors that could lead them into a career serving our nation that perhaps they never previously considered. I applaud the Coast Guard for working with Morgan State University to make that goal a reality.”
Under the new agreement, Morgan State University students will have an opportunity to participate in mentorships, internships, and scholarship programs offered by the United States Coast Guard. In addition, full-time Morgan State University students will receive direct support from Coast Guard mentors as they apply for the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) program, through which students can receive full tuition for up to two academic years, books and essential supplies, as well as active-duty Coast Guard benefits.