Today in Washington, D.C., representatives from Georgia Tech and other universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) will jointly appeal to members of Congress and the federal government on issues of importance to students, including financial aid and federal funding for research.

Through a series of briefings and events over two days, the group will cite examples and statistics to illustrate the profound impact Congress can have on higher education, particularly the 270,190 students enrolled in ACC universities.

The need for sustained research funding from federal agencies is among the highest advocacy priorities. Research programs have proven to positively impact retention, academic performance and graduation rates among students. In fiscal year 2012, federal research funding (about 70 percent of the Institute’s total research expenditures) helped support 2,600 graduate students, nearly 350 postdoctoral researchers and more than 3,000 research and academic faculty members.

In addition, the group will urge lawmakers to maintain the health of student loan programs through low interest rates, and maintain funding for work-study programs and Pell Grants.

Georgia Tech participants in the advocacy trip include:

• Michael Kirka, Graduate Student Government President
• Eran Mordel, Undergraduate Student Government President
• Alycia Edwards, Georgia Tech student
• Bill Schafer, Vice President of Student Affairs
• Fatimot Ladipo, Assistant Director of Federal Relations

Atlantic Coast Conference universities participating include:

• Boston College
• Clemson University
• Florida State University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• North Carolina State University
• University of Maryland
• University of Miami
• University of North Carolina
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest University