[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 125 (Monday, September 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMENDING UNC PRESIDENT HANK BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 26, 2002

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a former 
congressional colleague and good friend, Senator Hank Brown. Senator 
Brown recently stepped down as president of the University of Northern 
Colorado, a highly regarded institution of nearly 11,000 students in 
Greeley, CO. As president of the University, Senator Brown combined his 
past experiences in law, business, politics, and higher education to 
truly transform the school into a leading university.
  Prior to becoming president of the University of Northern Colorado, 
Senator Brown served a distinguished career in the Colorado State 
Legislature, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. While a 
U.S. Senator, he also taught night classes in political science at 
Catholic University and public policy at the Graduate School at 
Georgetown University. I am honored to follow Senator Brown in serving 
the Fourth Congressional District of Colorado.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will recall Senator Brown as a remarkable 
American. His service to the country was marked by his courage, 
thoughtful deliberative style, his cogent rhetorical manner, and his 
honest character. Hank Brown embodied Colorado in the Congress, and he 
still does today as Citizen Brown. He represented his state and country 
throughout the world with clarity of purpose and a noble vision steeped 
in the nation's glorious history. He was and remains an authentic 
statesman. Coloradans are forever grateful for Senator Brown's 
contributions to the state, for his leadership, and for his compassion. 
He's a Colorado hero.
  Mr. Speaker, I have the great honor to know Senator Brown as a friend 
and mentor. From the time I served in the Colorado State Senate, while 
Brown was my Congressman, I relied on his counsel, wisdom and example. 
As his successor in Congress, I continue to be driven by his legacy in 
hopes that I might come close to achieving even a portion of Senator 
Brown's accomplishments on behalf of the people of Colorado. The agenda 
he established for his constituency has clearly endured. It is a plan 
for freedom, liberty, and prosperity that has been followed by Senator 
Wayne Allard, and me, and I am confident that my replacement here will 
likewise follow in the Hank Brown tradition. He is one of the most 
decent people I know. Moreover, I am continually assured by our 
colleagues who served with him that he earned from all in this Capitol 
the greatest degree of respect and admiration. Hardly a day goes by 
without someone saying, ``Bob, please say `hello' to Hank for me.''
  On October 18, 2002, Senator Brown will be honored at a roast on his 
behalf to benefit the Hank Brown Scholarship for Excellence Endowment 
Fund. The Endowment Fund will assist countless students in attending 
the University of Northern Colorado. There is no other individual more 
deserving of a UNC scholarship namesake than Senator Brown.
  As UNC's 11th president, Senator Brown has made a profound impact 
upon the University. He has helped increase admissions standards three 
times while maintaining the lowest faculty-to-student teaching ratio of 
all four-year universities in Colorado. He has reduced the budget for 
administration by $6 million, redirecting funding to faculty salaries. 
Under Senator Brown's leadership, the UNC Foundation has doubled and 
total assets under management rose from $43.9 million to nearly $100 
million. Additionally, Senator Brown has secured more than $270 million 
in state support for the building and renovation of educational and 
residential facilities on the campus, more than what had been received 
in the previous 30 years.
  Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, please join me in commending 
Senator Hank Brown for his 22 years of public service and his deep 
commitment to the students and faculty at the University of Northern 
Colorado. It is fitting and appropriate for us to honor this man upon 
the establishment of the Hank Brown Scholarship for Excellence 
Endowment Fund. For generations to come, students will benefit from the 
opportunities presented by its lasting legacy.

                          ____________________