[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18246-S18247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO DR. THOMAS E. BELLAVANCE

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Dr. Thomas E. Bellavance as he retires as the president of Salisbury 
State University.
  In 1980, when the Board of Trustees of State Universities and 
Colleges unanimously selected Dr. Bellavance to be the new president of 
Salisbury State College, Thom arrived on campus with 

[[Page S 18247]]
a specific mission: to provide, as he expressed it, ``an education of 
the whole person within the context of a value-oriented curriculum--an 
education that is not merely training in a specialty, but a matter of 
nurturing individuals to be civil, articulate, and productive members 
of society.''
  For the past 15 years, Dr. Bellavance has focused on his vision, 
transforming the institution from a small State college, primarily 
attended by students from Maryland's Eastern Shore, to a highly-
respected regional university that is nationally recognized as one of 
the best among American colleges and universities.
  During Dr. Bellavance's tenure, applications for admission have more 
than doubled and average SAT scores have increased from 848 to 1085. 
When faced with the reality of difficult economic times, Dr. Bellavance 
sought private funding, establishing three endowed schools, the 
Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, the Richard A. Henson School of 
Science and Technology, and the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School 
of Liberal Arts. Also established were scholarships for deserving 
students, and a foundation strongly supported by the community. 
University assets have dramatically increased from $32,261 in 1980 to 
over $16 million. Today over $800,000 is available to assist students 
with financing their education.
  In his pursuit of academic excellence, Thom Bellavance has helped 
create a true academic community--a community of scholars with an 
abundance of opportunities to learn and grow and a strong sense of 
family among the students, faculty, and administrators. In the process, 
he has earned the love and respect of the entire university community.
  In a nation which believes that a person's merit and talent should 
take them as far as they can go, we are indeed fortunate to have 
educators like my friend, Thom Bellavance, who have fostered a path 
which allows our young people to maximize their potential. When this 
happens, we gain a person who contributes to society at a higher level. 
This is best exemplified by the fact that Salisbury State students 
contributed over 300,000 hours of community service in the 1993-94 
calendar year.
  On the occasion of his retirement, I join with the Salisbury State 
University community in saluting Dr. Bellavance and expressing deep 
appreciation for his exceptional leadership. As stated in a 
proclamation recently presented to Dr. Bellavance by the University 
Forum, ``He leaves Salisbury State University immeasurably better than 
he found it.''
   Mr. President, I know that you and all of our colleagues will join 
me in wishing Dr. Thomas Bellavance the very best in the years 
ahead.

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