WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senator Susan Collins is scheduled to received the Thought Leader Award today from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) at its 2014 Association for Public Television Stations (APTS) Public Media Summit in Washington.
CPB's Thought Leader Award recognizes and honors American leaders who affirm the essential services that public media provides to citizens in areas of education, journalism, and the arts.
"Senator Collins has long been a steadfast supporter of public broadcasting and finds great value in our diverse content and service," said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. "Her leadership in the United States Senate has ensured that public broadcasters can continue to provide high quality news, information, cultural and educational content and services to all Americans. We are honored to present her with this award."
During her time in the Senate, Senator Collins has been a strong advocate for strengthening America's education and homeland security system. She is a proponent of early childhood programs that promote school readiness for economically disadvantaged children and families. She is the author of the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) law which provides financial assistance to small and high-poverty rural districts to help students and teachers improve achievement levels. She has also spearheaded bipartisan efforts to increase funding for programs which help low-income, first generation students enter college, stay in college and become American graduates. Further, Senator Collins, through her work on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, has coauthored legislation that strengthens FEMA's emergency alert responses to the nation's ever changing emergency preparedness needs.
Senator Collins serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and as Ranking Member of the Special Committee on Aging. She is also a co-chair of the Senate Rural Education Caucus.
Previous winners of the CPB Thought Leader Award include former Congressman, Governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, actress Anna Deavere Smith, former Congressman and Governor Bob Wise, and author, businessman and veteran Wes Moore.