[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SHIRLEY FLEISCHMANN NAMED MICHIGAN PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR BY CARNEGIE 
                               FOUNDATION

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                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 8, 1998

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Shirley 
Fleischmann, an engineering professor at the Padnos School of 
Engineering at Grand Valley State University. As Vice-Chairman of the 
House Science Committee, I am extremely proud to announce that Shirley 
has been named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of 
Teaching as its 1998 Michigan Professor of the Year.
  Dr. Fleischmann is the first engineering professor and the fourth 
woman in the state of Michigan to receive this award since it was 
introduced in 1985. She is also the first Grand Valley State University 
professor to receive this award that recognizes undergraduate 
instructors who excel as teachers and who influence the lives of their 
students. The award is based on the recipients demonstrated involvement 
with undergraduate students, their scholarly approach to teaching, and 
their service to their profession and the community in which they live. 
For professors the award is one of the highest honors they can receive.
  Before beginning her teaching career at Grand Valley, Shirley was a 
professor of mechanical engineering at the United States Naval Academy 
from 1982-1989. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the 
University of Maryland. She also received M.S. degrees in Mechanical 
Engineering and Physics from Maryland and was awarded a B.S. in Physics 
as well. Shirley grew up in Holland, Michigan, where she graduated from 
Holland Christian High School. To this day she credits her high school 
teachers for giving her the tools and skills necessary to do her job so 
effectively.
  Mr. Speaker, it is the effort and dedication of professors like 
Shirley Fleischmann that is so crucial to the future of science 
education. Professors such as Shirley can help the United States renew 
its interest in science and better prepare our leaders of tomorrow with 
the necessary tools and knowledge they need for careers in math, 
science, and engineering. Her excitement and willingness to go that 
extra mile in training future scientists and engineers is a shining 
example of why she was selected for this prestigious award. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating Professor Shirley Fleischmann 
on this outstanding accomplishment.

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