[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 151 (Monday, November 1, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE SERVICE OF DR. JOHN LOMBARDI, PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF 
                                FLORIDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I also rise to pay tribute to 
President John Lombardi on his last day as President of the University 
of Florida.
  From the very first day that John Lombardi became President of the 
University of Florida, about 10 years ago, he demonstrated a vision and 
a passion that would be very difficult to duplicate. He arrived in a 
1985 GMC red pickup truck, and it became quite clear immediately that 
this was a very special person who could relate just as effectively 
with the students as he did with the academics and the administrators.
  He truly believed in the greatness of the university and he had a 
very unique style of communication that allowed him to spread his 
vision that, notwithstanding the tremendous reputation the University 
of Florida had, it was far ahead of its reputation.
  John Lombardi's style of communication was unique; professional, 
honest, direct and at times blunt, but he said what many people wanted 
to hear and he took the university through a great deal of progress in 
a very short period of time. As the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Thurman) has elaborated, research dollars increased by double the 
amount they were when he arrived; the academic credentials of the 
student body increased dramatically. One statistic I will quote, which 
is a little daunting for us, the entering freshman at the University of 
Florida now is a 3.90.
  Dr. Lombardi also shepherded through the creation of three very 
nationally well-known centers, the UF Brain Institute, the Engineering 
Research Center for Particle Science, and the National High Magnetic 
Laboratory, which is under the auspices of the University of Florida, 
Florida State University and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
  The 1990s has not been the easiest decade to manage a university. But 
John Lombardi's creativity and resourcefulness helped the University of 
Florida thrive in a time of shrinking budgets and bulging enrollments. 
He created a money management system that gave his deans and directors 
more control and flexibility of their own budgets. The deans thrived 
under this system, saving more than $6.7 million in 1996 and 1997, and 
$12 million the next year. They took those savings and put them 
directly into student services.
  In addition to all these achievements, Dr. Lombardi taught us 
something very important. Something that helps us answer the question, 
how do we define success in any major State university, not just in 
Gainesville, Florida? We define success by the value we add to the 
students that enter the university and ultimately leave there. John 
Lombardi never lost sight of the fact that a university is only as 
great as each and every one of its students that attend there.
  He made a point of doing something that not enough university 
presidents do today. He spent a great deal of time with the students. 
Whether it was cheering the many University of Florida sports' teams on 
to victory, or marching with the student band with his clarinet, Dr. 
Lombardi showed the students how much he cared about them and their 
University.
  Now, Dr. Lombardi, starting tomorrow, is returning to his first love; 
teaching. He will be teaching history again, and his students will be 
very lucky to have him there. But this is our opportunity tonight to 
thank him for his courageous leadership and for his example in the 
years to come as the University of Florida prospers under his 
tremendous stewardship.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Dr. John Lombardi, the outgoing President of my alma mater, the 
University of Florida.
  Dr. Lombardi leaves his distinguished position today after a proud 
decade of immeasurable service. During this period, he was instrumental 
in promoting the University of Florida's reputation as one of the 
premier public universities in the United States. However, even as he 
prepares to leave this position, his commitment to education remains 
unabated. Dr. Lombardi plans to return to the classroom as a professor 
in the University's history department. Such dedication is typical of 
Dr. Lombardi, as evidenced by his record of accomplishments and 
achievements as the President of the University of Florida.
  Complete enumeration of Dr. Lombardi's accomplishments would take 
days, so I will focus on a few accomplishments that I believe best 
portray Dr. Lombardi's tenure.
  Foremost among the accomplishments during the Lombardi years is the 
creation of the University of Florida Brain Institute. This institute 
focuses on brain and spinal cord research and treatment, and is 
recognized internationally for its faculty, clinicians, students, and 
staff. Dr. Lombardi oversaw the creation of this institute, and 
construction of a six-story, $60 million building to house this 
comprehensive center devoted entirely to neuroscience.
  Under Dr. Lombardi, the University has also increased the 
availability of combined degree programs for undergraduates who want to 
earn both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in five or six years. These 
programs have proven to be very popular with students seeking to take 
advantage of the university's curricular depth during a five or six 
year experience.
  Also underway, as a direct result of Dr. Lombardi's vision and 
leadership, is the Graduate Growth Initiative. This initiative to 
increase the graduate student population to approximately 25% of the 
entire student body has resulted in growing numbers of graduate 
students, and proven to be an important asset in support of the 
University's research agenda.
  Dr. Lombardi will be missed as President of the University of 
Florida. I wish him the best of luck in his return to the classroom, 
and commend him for his dedicated service to the University of Florida.

                          ____________________