WASHINGTON--Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will address the National Press Club on Tuesday, July 18 about the future of higher education, research and the American economy. The New York Times, in a June 28 article, said Dr. Vest "has become the unofficial spokesman for research universities in Washington."
The press is invited to attend the speech, which begins at 1:00 p.m. after the 12 noon luncheon of the National Press Club, 529 Fourteenth St. NW, Washington, DC. Credentialed members of the media (those who are not members of the club) are accommodated in the press gallery. The speech, about 20 minutes long, will be followed by a question and answer session in which members of the NPC submit written questions to the president of the club, Monroe Karmin, editor at large at Bloomberg Business News.
Television coverage is provided by C-Span, which will carry it live at 1:00 p.m. on C-Span 1 or 2 provided that one of the Houses of Congress is not in session. The Senate currently is expected to be in a luncheon recess at 1 p.m. July 18, and in this case, the speech will be carried live on C-Span 2. If both houses are in session, the program will be broadcast by C-Span at 6 p.m. the following Saturday. The address also is carried live to National Public Radio stations beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT. NPR stations may broadcast it immediately or at another time.
Dr. Vest is a member of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and is on the executive committee of the Council on Competitiveness. He served as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station, which recommended in June 1993 that NASA cut its work force by 30% and work more closely with the Russians in building the space station.
Dr. Vest also led MIT's successful court fight--against a Justice Department civil suit--to insure that the limited financial aid funds of colleges may be awarded to qualified students solely on the basis of financial need.
