NSU President Marie V. McDemmond to Testify Before U.S. Senate Subcommittee in Support of Technology Bill

Norfolk, Va.- Norfolk State University President Marie V. McDemmond will testify before the subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation at 2 p.m. Thursday, September 13. Her testimony will focus on the digital divide and its effects on minority serving institutions.

McDemmond, who will be the only president from a public historically black institution, will speak in support of Senate Bill 414, which would offer technology grants to colleges that serve minority or low-income students. She will discuss Norfolk State's technology initiatives, which include a 25-acre technology park called the RISE-- Research and Innovation to Support Empowerment Center. In addition to discussing RISE, she will also provide an indication of how the University's initiatives will result in an increased production of African American participation in Virginia's booming technology industry and demonstrate how additional resources made available by the bill could be utilized to enhance the University's efforts.

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