[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3011-S3012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NEAL BERTE'S 20 YEARS AT BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE
Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, Dr. Neal R. Berte recently celebrated his
20th year as president of my undergraduate alma mater, Birmingham-
Southern College. He has been, and continues to be, an outstanding
spokesman, administrator, and scholarly leader of one of the Nation's
very best liberal arts colleges.
A native of Ohio, Dr. Berte and his wife, Anne, have four grown
children and two grandchildren. He obtained his bachelor's, master's,
and doctoral degrees all at the University of Cincinnati. A member of
Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he also holds honorary doctoral degrees
from Birmingham-Southern and Cincinnati. He served as an associate
professor at the University of Alabama from 1970 through 1974 and as
the university's vice president for educational development from 1974
until 1976. He also served as dean of the university's New College from
1970 until 1976 when, on February 1, he became president of Birmingham-
Southern College.
Dr. Berte is recognized as one of the most accomplished, successful
educational professionals of our time. Under his stewardship,
Birmingham-Southern's endowment has increased from $14 million to $82
million and its student population, made up of some of the brightest
high school graduates in the State and Nation, has more than doubled.
Acceptance of its graduates to medical and law schools is among the
highest in the South and its outstanding faculty has increased by 66
percent during his tenure as president. He has also overseen the
construction of eight new campus buildings.
The campus of Birmingham-Southern, known as The Hilltop, has an
atmosphere of learning and of intellectual achievement. This atmosphere
is reflected in the fact that the school is consistently recognized as
one of the top national liberal arts colleges by such prestigious
publications as U.S News and World Report, National Review, Money
Magazine, the Insider's Guide to the Colleges, Southern Magazine, and
the Princeton Review.
The National Review's College Guide has said, ``An ambiance of
graciousness, a tradition of academic excellence, and close student-
faculty relations have made Birmingham-Southern College one of the
standout liberal arts colleges in the South * * * '' U.S. News calls it
a `` * * * trailblazer for higher education of the future.'' These
kinds of accolades are a direct reflection of the school president's
strong commitment, total dedication, and superb leadership skills.
Birmingham-Southern College's graduates of all ages speak often of
the deep pride and affection they have for their alma mater. Indeed,
the school enjoys an uncommonly strong level of support among its loyal
and generous alumni. Even those of us who were students there long
before Dr. Berte's arrival 20 years ago have enjoyed a renewed sense of
pride in Birmingham-Southern since he became president.
Birmingham-Southern does not have a football program, but its
basketball team has won two National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics [NAIA] championships in the past 7 years, most recently in
1995. Its baseball team has advanced to the NAIA World Series on three
occasions.
Dr. Berte's many honors and awards include his induction into the
Alabama Academy of Honor; his selection as Birmingham's Citizen of the
Year; his selection as one of the 100 Most Effective College Presidents
by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education; and his
recognition as one of America's Leaders in Higher Education by the
American Council on Education.
Birmingham's morning newspaper, the Post-Herald, carried a front-page
feature on his life and career on February 6 and an editorial on his
tenure at Birmingham-Southern the next day. I ask unanimous consent
that the text of these articles be printed in the Record.
I want to commend and congratulate Dr. Neal Berte for his impeccable
leadership, clear vision, and total dedication to the field of higher
education in general and to Birmingham-Southern in particular. As a
proud alumnus of the college, I have no doubt that his next 20 years
there will be just as productive and vibrant as his first. It could not
be in more capable hands.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows;
[From the Birmingham Post-Herald, Feb. 6, 1996]
Berte Looks to the Future at BSC
(By Michaelle Chapman)
When you ask Neal R. Berte about his future, expect him to
talk about his goals for Birmingham-Southern College.
Berte celebrated his 20th anniversary as president there
Thursday.
He has had plenty of opportunities to go elsewhere but
said, ``I feel sort of content.''
That's not to say Berte has no goals for the small liberal
arts school he helped build into one of the best of its kind
in the nation.
But he really can't envision a job offer good enough to
persuade him to leave the Hilltop and the city he has come to
call home.
At 55, Berte is a slim and energetic man who puts those in
his company at ease with his friendly but earnest manner.
While many college presidents confine their interests to
campus, Berte's voice is heard far beyond the gates of
Birmingham-Southern.
Berte is an example to his students, whom he expects to get
involved in the community.
He's chairman of Leadership Birmingham and the Birmingham
Business Leadership Group, made up of the chief executive
officers of 45 of Birmingham's largest businesses.
His past positions have included chairman of the Birmingham
Area Chamber of Commerce and campaign chairman and president
of the United Way of Central Alabama. He's also been
Birmingham's Citizen of the Year and been inducted into the
city's Distinguished Gallery of Honor.
Birmingham-Southern students follow in Berte's footsteps in
their amount of community involvement. ``Every year, over
half of our students and faculty are out in service to
others,'' Berte said.
``We've been here long enough that I've seen them go out
and make a difference in terms of their careers but also make
a difference as far as their civic involvements, in the life
of the communities where they live, in the life of their
churches.''
Berte said he gets to know the names of most students. ``We
work at trying to treat each student as an individual. . . .
I think somehow knowing someone's name does make a
difference, so I work at it,'' he said.
Students who get up early to exercise can find Berte in the
college's old gym at 6 a.m. either running or doing weight
training. He's in his office by about 8:15 a.m. and spends
many evenings at on-campus functions or events around town.
Ed LaMonte, a Birmingham-Southern professor who is on leave
while serving as interim superintendent of Birmingham
schools, said Berte is an excellent example of leadership.
``He has simply stepped forward time after time to play a
very important role in what is in the best interest of the
city. ... He has, on occasions, played a role that has cost
the college a bit in terms of support but has served the
community well,'' LaMonte said.
``He's the personification of the word `leader,' '' said
Don Newton, president of the Chamber of Commerce. ``I have
never seen him tackle anything that he didn't complete the
task.''
Herbert A. Sklenar, chairman of the Birmingham-Southern
Board of Trustees, believes Berte's involvement in the
community is part of the reason why the school is doing so
well.
``He took an institution that had a great tradition and
history but was faltering somewhat and has turned it around
and, by all kinds of measurements, turned it into a
success,'' Sklenar said.
Twenty years ago, Berte said, ``There were some large
problems . . . that probably were reflective of many colleges
and universities across the country. . . . We had a declining
enrollment. We were operating on a deficit budget. I think
it's fair to say the general public did not have a real
positive attitude about the value of liberal arts
education.''
But the trustees were committed, the faculty was
outstanding and the students were capable, he said.
Berte pulled all those forces together and began improving
the school, which had abut 827 students. Today, 1,562
students are enrolled at Birmingham-Southern.
Other things are changing at Birmingham-Southern as well--
much of it as part of the Toward the 21st Century Campaign, a
$64 million fundraising effort that began last May. Pledges
for $46 million have been received so far.
Berte is proud that the endowment has grown to $82.2
million from $14 million.
In the past few years, Birmingham-Southern has gotten
considerable national recognition from magazines,
publications and foundations that rate colleges and
universities.
``That is good for Birmingham-Southern . . . but I'd like
to believe it also is good for Birmingham and for Alabama,''
Berte said.
[[Page S3012]]
[From the Birmingham Post-Herald, Feb. 7, 1996]
20 Years of Leadership
Twenty years ago, the future looked dim for many small,
private liberal arts colleges. Declining enrollments and
troubled financial conditions forced many such schools out of
existence. Others survived by abandoning much of their
distinctiveness through merger into other colleges and
universities or becoming taxpayer-funded institutions. People
were even questioning whether a liberal arts education still
had any value.
Among the colleges in trouble was Birmingham-Southern
College. Enrollment was down significantly, the college had a
budgetary deficit and the college presidency had changed
hands several times in a very short period.
Then, on Feb. 1, 1976, Neal Berte became college president.
Under his leadership, the Methodist institution enhanced what
were still strong academic programs, rebuilt its finances and
reversed the erosion of a tradition of community involvement.
If Berte had done nothing more in the past 20 years than
restore Birmingham-Southern's standing as one of the best
liberal arts colleges in this part of the country, he would
deserve high praise. But as anybody who follows public life
in this community must know, he has done much more.
There is hardly a facet of civic life that has not been
affected--for the better--by Berte. He holds or has held
chairmanships in several organizations. But even more
important has been his ability to bring other leaders and
potential leaders together in ways that improve Birmingham
for all of us. He has been a much-needed catalyst for change.
Anybody seeking an example of what being a leader means
need look no farther than the Birmingham-Southern hilltop
campus and the office of Neal Berte.
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