[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 68 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S4835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING DR. GEORGE RUPP, PRESIDENT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

 Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Dr. George 
Rupp for his distinguished career as the 18th President of Columbia 
University. On June 30, 2002, Dr. Rupp will retire from this position, 
after a remarkable record of service to New York City and to higher 
education in America.
  Dr. Rupp, a New Jersey native, is both a dedicated scholar and 
educator. After graduating from Princeton University with high honors, 
he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree magna cum laude from Yale and 
a Ph.D. in the study of religion from Harvard. He served as the John 
Lord O'Brian Professor of Divinity and dean of the Harvard Divinity 
School and then as President of Rice University for eight years. In 
1993, Dr. Rupp headed from Texas to New York with a vision, and today 
Columbia University is a stronger, more vibrant institution because of 
him.
  Under Dr. Rupp's nine-year tenure, one of the nation's most important 
centers of intellectualism has flourished. Columbia University will 
commemorate its 250th anniversary as a model of academic excellence and 
community service. Its core missions of teaching, research and public 
service have enriched New York City, New York State and our country 
beyond measure.
  Dr. Rupp has enhanced the quality of education at Columbia University 
by increasing attention to the importance of teaching; creating, among 
other things, teaching awards for faculty and graduate assistants. He 
has refocused the University's teaching and research to emphasize 
multidisciplinary efforts, bringing together scholars from different 
departments, schools and even outside institutions. Such efforts have 
led to the establishment of several new centers at Columbia, including 
the Earth Institute, Columbia Genome Center, Center for Biomedical 
Engineering, International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, 
and Center for New Media Teaching and Learning.
  Student life on campus has also improved significantly since Dr. Rupp 
became President. He has promoted diversity and held the University to 
its promise of need-blind admissions and full-need financial aid at 
Columbia College. He has overseen the addition of women's varsity teams 
in swimming, softball, field hockey, rowing, lacrosse and volleyball, 
providing women with the same number of sports teams as men. Over the 
last few years, six new buildings have been constructed and 19 more 
have been renovated under his direction.
  Dr. Rupp has also been steadfast in expanding the role of Columbia as 
an engine of high-tech growth and innovation. The recent scientific 
advances made at the University have been successfully translated into 
scores of valuable technologies which have also led to the development 
of numerous start-up firms in the area. Under Dr. Rupp, the University 
has established the Audubon Biotechnology and Research Park, the first 
biomedical research and development park in New York City, a facility 
which is a keystone to the future of the biomedical enterprise in the 
region.
  In summation, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to 
President George Rupp for his contributions to American higher 
education, his unfailing commitment to public service, and his 
dedication which has distinguished his career as a scholar and 
educator. I wish Dr. Rupp well in all his future endeavors.

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