[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 56 (Thursday, May 7, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4547-S4548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEDICATION OF THE GILBERT M. GROSVENOR CENTER OF GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION

 Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to bring to my 
colleagues' attention the dedication of the Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center 
of Geographic Education at Southwest Texas State University.
  Located near the Texas Hill Country in San Marcos, Texas, Southwest 
Texas opened its doors 95 years ago to 330 students. Today, Southwest 
Texas is a major, innovative university with a growing student 
population of over 21,000. During its history, Southwest Texas 
graduates have distinguished themselves in numerous career fields, 
including research and teaching. Today, Southwest Texas builds upon 
this legacy of success and commitment to higher education by dedicating 
the new Grosvenor Center.
  The university has distinguished itself nationally in the area of 
geographic research and education. In fact, Southwest Texas's 
Department of Geography and Planning has been recognized as the best 
undergraduate geography program in the nation by the Journal of 
Geography, the Association of American Geographers, and a national 
Program Effectiveness survey. Southwest Texas has the largest geography 
department in the country with 590 undergraduate and 165 graduate 
students.
  Southwest Texas is the home of the Texas Alliance for Geographic 
Education, which is one of the premier geography alliances in the 
nation, according to the National Geographic Society. The Alliance has 
more than 5,000 teachers as members. It has sponsored numerous 
geography institutes and workshops for educators and has led efforts to 
generate participation in Geography Awareness Week. The Alliance is a 
strong supporter of the Texas Geography Bee, which is a statewide 
competition for young people to test their geographic knowledge before 
advancing on to the national contest.
  Not surprisingly, Southwest Texas has chosen to name its new Center 
for Geographic Education after Gil Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board of 
Trustees of the National Geographic Society. With this decision, 
Southwest Texas salutes Mr. Grosvenor's outstanding leadership in the 
drive to improve education in the field of geography. His

[[Page S4548]]

pioneering work to advance Geography Awareness Week, the Geography Bee, 
and state geography alliances, has dramatized the need for quality 
geography education in America's classrooms.
  I want to commend Mr. Grosvenor for his lifetime commitment to the 
advancement and dissemination of geographic knowledge and 
understanding. Under the leadership of Gil Grosvenor, National 
Geographic has done more to make geography alive and interesting than 
any other organization. We all owe Mr. Grosvenor and the National 
Geographic Society a huge debt of gratitude for their tremendous 
contributions over the years.
  Mr. President, hundreds of geographers from across the country will 
converge on the Southwest Texas campus today to inaugurate the new 
Center. Lady Bird Johnson is also an expected guest, along with elected 
officials and many alumni from the Department of Geography and 
Planning. In the evening, Mr. Grosvenor will serve as a special guest 
at a dinner in the ballroom of the LBJ Student Center. On Friday, Mr. 
Grosvenor will have the honor and distinction of delivering the 1st 
Annual Grosvenor Lecture at the Alkek Library Teaching Theater on 
campus. Mr. Grosvenor is expected to focus his address on the critical 
importance of providing quality geography education in America's 
schools.
  It is with great pleasure that I join in the celebration of the 
dedication of Southwest Texas's new Grosvenor Center. I congratulate 
all those involved in making this effort a reality and ensuring that 
geography education plays an important and integral role in the 
classrooms of today, as well as tomorrow.

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