[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 64 (Friday, May 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E849-E850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   A TRIBUTE TO DR. CALVIN W. BURNETT

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR.

                              of maryland

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2002

  Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, we rise today to pay special tribute to Dr. 
Calvin W. Burnett, President of Coppin State College in Baltimore, 
Maryland. On May 17th, we will join many of Dr. Burnett's admirers in a 
tribute to

[[Page E850]]

his 32 years of outstanding leadership at Coppin.
  Dr. Burnett earned his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. from St. Louis 
University. He was a faculty member and administrator at the Catholic 
University of America and Southern Illinois University prior to his 
tenure at Coppin.
  Since becoming Coppin's president in 1970, Dr. Burnett has guided the 
college from a teacher education institution to a comprehensive college 
in a challenging urban setting. The school places an emphasis on the 
problems, needs, and aspirations of Baltimore City and offers 
instructional programs for its students to meet these needs.
  Dr. Burnett is also active in many charitable and civic organizations 
and through his work has become a respected leader in Baltimore and the 
entire state of Maryland. A few of the organizations he has been 
associated with include the Black/Jewish Forum for Maryland; the 
Baltimore Area Council--Boy Scouts of America; the Metropolitan YMCA; 
the Walters Art Gallery; the State NAACP Jubilee Day Committee; and the 
State of Maryland Civil Rights Commission.
  Last year, Coppin State held its first public hearing on a 
comprehensive strategic revitalization plan. We were encouraged when we 
first heard that the State of Maryland had entered into a partnership 
agreement with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. 
This particular partnership was formed to ensure equal access to higher 
education for all citizens. The partnership agreement, in part, calls 
for Coppin to implement a vision for its future that reflects an 
enhanced mission, campus expansion, teacher recruitment and student 
retention.
  We are pleased that Coppin's comprehensive strategic revitalizing 
plan was started when Dr. Burnett was at the helm.
  Mr. Speaker, we wish Dr. Burnett very best wishes as he retires from 
Coppin State College. His achievements will be longstanding; his career 
has touched the lives of thousands of students who have benefitted from 
his leadership.
  Retirement will mean spending more time with his wife, Dr. Gretta L. 
Burnett, and his children and grandchildren. We are confident, however, 
that his commitment to Coppin and to the City of Baltimore will keep 
him active in many civic and educational activities. Today, we 
celebrate Dr. Burnett's contributions, and thank him for a job well 
done.

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