Claiborne Pell dies
Former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, who was largely responsible for the establishment of Pell Grants which provide financial aid to students, died on Thursday.
Pell, who was a Democratic senator from Rhode Island from 1961 to 1997, was 90 years old and was Rhode Island's longest tenured senator.
"Claiborne Pell was a man of extraordinary integrity, grace and decency. Chairman Pell was a mentor to me and one of our nation's most important voices in foreign policy for over 30 years," Vice President-elect Joe Biden said in a press release. Pell served as chairman on the Senate Foriegn Relations committee from 1987-1994.
The Pell Grant, which was sponsored by Pell, has helped provide funding for several lower income college students.
In 2007, President George W. Bush signed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, which increased the maximum Pell Grant amount to $4,800 in 2008 and to $5,400 by 2012. Despite the increase, the Pell Grant has not kept up with inflation, and only covers 33% of educational expenses, compared to 55% in the 1980's.