Dear Senator Akaka: On behalf of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 62 leading public and private research universities, I write to thank you for your leadership on S. 589, the Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act.

Graduate Education Requires Increased Federal Investment The federal government provides support to graduate students in the form of fellowships, traineeships, and research assistantships. Funding for graduate programs in the major science- and education-related agencies should be increased to help meet the nation’s need for highly-skilled Americans who will become the next generation of scientists, scholars, and leaders in government, business, and industry.