[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 124 (Friday, October 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1713]]
                 A TRIBUTE TO DR. JAMES LEWIS CRAIG III

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 6, 2000

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this occasion to 
commend and congratulate a fellow educator and former colleague at the 
University of Guam on the occasion of his retirement. Dr. James Lewis 
Craig III has had a distinguished career which has taken him to many 
different parts of this country and the world in a span of almost five 
decades.
  A seasoned veteran in the field of education, Jim Craig worked on a 
wide range of areas. Having great interest in the field of education 
early in life, he took undergraduate courses at Oregon State College 
from 1954 until 1956. He later joined the military and served until 
1960. True to his calling, he spent two and a half years of his 
enlistment working as a military instructor. Upon his discharge from 
the military, he opted to spend part of 1960 and 1961 in Europe. While 
in Munich, Germany, he took courses with the University of Maryland 
extension program. He later resumed his undergraduate work at Oklahoma 
State University where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in Elementary 
Education in 1963.
  Upon graduation, Jim worked as an elementary school teacher for the 
Albuquerque Public School System in Albuquerque, New Mexico and he 
taught grade school children from 1963 until 1971. During this period, 
he was also working towards a master's degree. In 1967, the University 
of New Mexico awarded him an M.A. in Educational Administration.
  Between 1971 and 1974, Jim worked as a graduate teaching assistant at 
the University of New Mexico. He additionally did consulting work for 
several state agencies and was awarded grants to develop and implement 
Early Childhood Education programs. Around the same time, he earned a 
Ph.D. in Educational Foundations (Educational Sociology) from the 
University of New Mexico. Jim later served as an Assistant Professor of 
Education at the Southwest Missouri State University. Between 1974 and 
1975, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Education and 
directed institutional research towards accreditation from the National 
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In 1975, Jim 
moved to Australia where he worked for the Churchlands College of 
Advanced Education in Perth Australia. He served as vice-chair of 
faculty at the Australian College of Education and later was elected 
divisional Councillor of the Western Australia Teacher Education Staff 
Association. He was also a member of the adjunct faculty of Murdoch 
University in Perth, where he taught a graduate course in Educational 
Research.
  Jim's ties with the island of Guam go back to 1977 when he started 
work with the University of Guam. He initially served as an associate 
professor and Chair of the University's Department of Early Childhood 
Education. In 1983, Jim was awarded tenure and promoted to Professor of 
Education. After serving as Vice President for Administrative Affairs, 
Jim returned to the College of Education faculty in 1989. Upon his 
return, he authored and received funding for a number of grants and was 
elected various posts such as Vice-Chair of the University Faculty 
Council, Chair of the College of Education Academic Affairs Committee, 
Chair of the College of Education Graduate Program, and served as a 
member of the University Program Review, Promotion, and Tenure 
Committees.
  In 1992, Jim was appointed Dean of the College of Education, the 
position that he held until his retirement. As the dean, he chaired 
several departments within the university namely, the Guam Teacher 
Corps Council, the University Administrative Council, the University 
Administrative Salary Task Force, the University Employee Development 
Council, the Institutional Audit Committee, and the University General 
Education Task Force. Jim is also credited for the concept of 
establishing University of Guam Branch Campuses in the Federated States 
of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands.
  Jim has made great contributions to the field of Education especially 
through his work on early childhood education. Most noteworthy is his 
great contributions in the development and expansion of the College of 
Education and the University of Guam. He is a role model, he is a 
leader, and a distinguished colleague. He has been a great personal 
friend who rendered great assistance to me in my own professional 
development. On behalf of the people of Guam, I congratulate Jim Craig. 
I hope that he enjoys his well-earned retirement and wish him the best 
in his future endeavors. Si Yu'os Ma'ase' Jim.

                          ____________________