[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E918-E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO DR. GEORGE RUPP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2002

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend, Dr. George 
Rupp, who is retiring on May 31 after 9 years of service as the 18th 
president of Columbia University.
  Under Dr. Rupp's leadership, Columbia's long history as one of the 
nation's leading institutions of higher learning has been successfully 
extended into the 21st century. Columbia has thrived over the past 
decade. The accomplishments of its scholars and researchers have 
soared, as has its endowment. So, too, have the numbers of applicants 
to its college and many graduate and professional programs. The 
Columbia community is one of the greatest concentrations of talent and 
energy in the country, and helps keep New York at the center of the 
world's intellectual life.
  Dr. Rupp's legacy will be measured, above all, by the University's 
significant and lasting impact on the community around it. Not once has 
he thought that his responsibilities stopped at the gates to campus. 
During Dr. Rupp's leadership, Columbia's remarkable pool of talent and 
energy has been increasingly directed to the duties of good 
citizenship.
  Dr. Rupp has been a particularly forceful and innovative supporter of 
the University's efforts to address the disparities in opportunity

[[Page E919]]

afflicting the areas around it. The University has actively worked to 
foster economic growth in its neighborhood and has leveraged millions 
of dollars for community services. It has proven to be an engine of 
high-tech growth and innovation, translating the scientific advances of 
its researchers into scores of valuable technologies and a number of 
start-up firms within New York. Importantly, it has opened 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.
  Columbia's impact on the economic life of the City extends far beyond 
high technology. The third largest employer in the City, Columbia 
became the first non-profit in New York to institutionalize hiring 
goals on its major construction projects for minorities, women and 
local residents of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, UMEZ. Under 
Dr. Rupp, Columbia actively encouraged the purchase of goods and 
services from local vendors by the University, its faculty and staff. 
The University also created a program to offer ``forgivable'' loans to 
employees as incentives for home-buying within the Empowerment Zone.
  Under Dr. Rupp's leadership, Columbia's relationship with the 
Empowerment Zone epitomized the University's partnership with the Upper 
Manhattan community. Empowerment Zone residents are assisted in 
obtaining jobs at the University through the Morningside Heights Area 
Alliance's Job Connections program. Dr. Rupp has encouraged all of the 
University's divisions and departments to provide technological support 
for local projects and oversaw the establishment of the Urban Technical 
Assistance Program to provide urban planning assistance to community 
groups in northern Manhattan. Columbia policy experts played a leading 
role in the UMEZ's initial proposal and later development, and have 
continued to provide ongoing technical support to what has emerged as a 
powerful example of the success of public-private partnerships.
  Dr. Rupp has worked tirelessly to make Columbia a good neighbor, 
involving the community in University decisions that impact them, and 
encouraging consultation with the community on the design of new 
University construction projects, on and off campus. In recent years, 
the University has enhanced its support of the community in other ways, 
increasing its sponsorship of neighborhood sports teams, and making 
available space in university facilities for use by community groups 
and elected officials. The University has strengthened its links to 
public schools in the area through a number of initiatives, including 
faculty development and training programs to prepare teachers for 
certification examinations.
  The number of the University's neighbors that have been helped 
through its service programs has also greatly increased under Dr. Rupp, 
who has directed the creation of a wide array of initiatives to benefit 
Morningside Heights, Harlem and Washington Heights.
  Columbia now administers academic, professional and service programs 
that assist thousands of Upper Manhattan residents, school children and 
businesses. Hundreds of adults have had their skills and employment 
potential enhanced through a range of educational programs, including 
computer training, and GED and ESL classes. Thousands of needy 
individuals and families have been provided with hot meals. And, under 
the ``Power Lunch'' program, neighborhood elementary school students 
are paired with Columbia students for mentoring and reading.
  Dr. Rupp's tenure at Columbia was characterized by its sensitivity, 
spirit of cooperation and commitment to the growth and well-being of 
the Upper Manhattan community. An ordained Presbyterian minister and a 
religious scholar, Dr. Rupp has helped create a climate of service, on 
and off campus, for its students, faculty and staff that was recognized 
and appreciated by the community. His tenure will serve as a model for 
the future. He will be deeply missed, and I wish him all the best.

                          ____________________