[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SISTER JACQUELINE BURNS: LED THE COLLEGE OF ST. ELIZABETH INTO A NEW 
                                  ERA

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 1997

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Sister 
Jacqueline Burns, S.C., upon her retirement as president of New 
Jersey's oldest Catholic college for women, the College of St. 
Elizabeth at Convent Station, Morris Township. During her tenure, 
Sister Jacqueline has expanded the college's mission while retaining 
its focus on offering quality educational opportunities to young women 
in a Catholic environment. Sister Jacqueline has been successful in 
launching Saint Elizabeth's into the 21st century while retaining the 
values that have made the college a treasured institution since 1903.
  A New Jersey native, Sister Jacqueline has devoted more than 50 years 
to Catholic higher education. In 1946, she became a member of the 
Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth and earned a bachelor's degree in 
history from the college in 1957. She continued her education at the 
Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, earning a master of 
arts in 1963 and a doctorate in history in 1967. Upon returning to New 
Jersey, Sister Jacqueline began a 30-year career at her alma mater 
culminating with her appointment as president of the College of St. 
Elizabeth in 1981.
  Sister Jacqueline Burns recognized early in her tenure the 
educational challenges presented by today's rapidly changing workplace 
and the promise the next century will offer to future alumni of St. 
Elizabeth's. In order to prepare for this challenge, Sister Jacqueline 
enlarged the college's endowment by more than 1000 percent, increased 
financial aid opportunities, opened the college to more minority and 
international students, worked to improve opportunities for faculty 
growth and leadership, and expanded coeducational programs in nursing 
and adult education. Additionally, St. Elizabeth's now boasts a 
coeducational graduate division and a campuswide computer information 
network.
  Beyond her work at St. Elizabeth's, Sister Jacqueline has been a 
leader and an excellent spokesperson on educational issues through her 
membership on the board of directors of organizations such as the 
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, the 
Morris County Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of 
Independent Colleges and Universities. In the past, Sister Jacqueline 
has also served on the boards of two area hospitals and a seminary, and 
she currently serves on the Presidential Advisory Council for 
Intercampus Telecommunications Network, the New Jersey Independent 
College Fund, and the board of directors of the Public Leadership 
Educational Network. Throughout the years, she has been recognized as a 
leader by Seton Hall University, Douglas College, the New Jersey State 
Federation of Women's Clubs, the Northeast Coalition of Educational 
Leaders, and various local women's clubs.
  However, even as she moves on to other challenges for the Sisters of 
Charity, Sister Jacqueline will be remembered, above all, by the 30 
graduating classes of students that have passed through the College of 
St. Elizabeth during her time as a professor and as president of the 
institution. All of these women graduates take with them an element of 
Sister Jacqueline's thirst for knowledge, her desire to create a 
culture of giving and her hope for the future.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to commend Sister Jacqueline Burns 
for her tireless efforts on behalf of the students at the College of 
St. Elizabeth and for her selfless contributions to New Jersey and 
Morris County.

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