[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 108 (Thursday, September 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8575-S8576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING DR. JOHN DiBIAGGIO, PRESIDENT OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would like to take a few minutes 
to pay tribute to someone who has been a good friend to those of us in 
Massachusetts who are committed to quality higher education, Dr. John 
DiBiaggio, for his service, his vision, and the academic leadership the 
he has shown--not just in Massachusetts, but nationwide. Dr. DiBiaggio 
has been the president of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, 
since 1993. Yesterday he announced that he will be retiring in June 
2002 and I know that he will be sorely missed.
  I think anyone who has spent time at Tufts in the last several years 
has seen Dr. DiBiaggio, or his wife, Nancy, walking their dogs on 
campus. When the DiBiaggio's moved to Medford in 1993, they moved into 
Gifford House, an on-campus residence. I think that that decision to 
live on campus, just like an incoming freshman, to have an sincere 
open-door policy, and to create a real sense of community, is an 
enormous testimony to his dedication to service.
  Dr. DiBiaggio's tenure at Tufts has been an extremely successful one. 
Since Dr. DiBiaggio arrived at Tufts, the university has shored up its 
fiscal

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condition by tripling the size of its endowment. The University has 
built six new buildings at its Grafton campus and a new fieldhouse. The 
school's student-faculty ratio has dropped to 8:1, one of the best of 
any major college or university. Since Dr. DiBiaggio became president, 
the University has established study abroad programs in Chile, Moscow, 
Japan and Ghana.
  Most recently, he announced the creation of a new school of public 
service. In my judgment, The University College of Citizenship and 
Public Service will be one of Dr. DiBiaggio's most enduring legacies at 
Tufts. Despite the large increase in volunteer rates among Tufts 
students, Massachusetts residents and citizens nationwide, voter apathy 
and cynicism are at all-time highs. This new school will be a ``virtual 
college,'' which aims to incorporate the goals of public service into 
the school's curriculum. In April, the College of Citizenship and 
Public Service received a $10 million donation from Pierre and Pam 
Omidyar, the founders of the person-to-person online trading website, 
eBay. This gift allowed the College of Citizenship and Public Service 
to grant twenty-one scholarships to undergraduates to participate in 
programs geared to develop values and skills of active citizenship and 
covers the financial aid needs of students who are eligible for 
scholarship assistance.
  Tufts is no longer one of Massachusetts' best kept secrets. Under Dr. 
DiBiaggio's guidance, Tufts' undergraduate, medical, dental, nutrition, 
international relations, and veterinary schools have grown in stature 
and are consistently ranked among the nation's elite. The number of 
applicants increased by more than 70 percent in just the past five 
years. The test scores, grades and class rank of the incoming freshmen 
continues to break school records. The University is now standard on 
U.S. News and World Report's annual list of top colleges and 
universities, rubbing elbows with Harvard, MIT and Boston College.
  I again commend Dr. DiBiaggio on a successful term as President of 
Tufts University. All of us in Massachusetts know the tremendous vision 
and scholarship that will be the legacy of Dr. DiBiaggo's service at 
Tufts. I know that he will be missed by students, parents and alumni 
alike, but I thank him for his service, and I am genuinely happy for 
him and for Nancy. I wish them the best of luck in their future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________