[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E588-E589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN S. BURD, PRESIDENT, BRENAU UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. NATHAN DEAL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2004

  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House 
to honor a pioneer and friend within the higher education arena of 
Georgia. It is with immense pride and a great honor that I pay tribute 
to a man that has made similar contributions to our region, but in the 
higher education arena. Please join me recognizing a friend and a 
community servant, Dr. John S. Burd, as he retires as president of 
Brenau University in Gainesville, GA.
  Since donning the mantle of president of what was then known as 
Brenau College in 1985, it could be argued that Dr. Burd has 
accomplished more in under twenty years than all previous presidents 
did in the first 107 years of this fine institution's history. Since he 
first assumed office, his vision of private liberal arts higher 
education, his dedication, hard work, personal sacrifice, and love of 
the arts have transformed the college into a nationally recognized 
university and enhanced the lives

[[Page E589]]

of thousands of children and adults of all ages. This multifaceted 
institution has flourished academically, by student enrollment, by 
improved facilities, and economically.
  In one of his first acts as college president, Jack Burd created the 
State's very first weekend college in 1986, enabling thousands of 
returning adult students an opportunity to advance their education and 
their career potential at Brenau. Just about every college and 
university in Georgia now emulates this educational model. In 1993, 
under Dr. Burd's leadership, Brenau College became Brenau University to 
more accurately reflect the comprehensive nature of the institution. 
Now graduate programs serve educators and business leaders in 
management, accounting, and healthcare, continuing education programs 
engage retired adults, and traditional and non-traditional scheduling 
formats serve a local, regional, and worldwide student population. And 
to even further extend the university's outreach, Dr. Burd created the 
Online College in 2001. This unique institution now includes the 
Women's College, the Evening and Weekend College, the Online College 
and Brenau Academy.
  Jack Burd's greatest accomplishment may be that he was able to 
preserve the 125-year-old heritage and legacy of Brenau's original 
mission, which is the Women's College. At one time there were two-
hundred plus women's colleges across the United States. Today there are 
only sixty-eight. According to the Women's College Coalition, the 
decline is despite evidence that proves going to a women's college 
greatly increases the chances that a woman will become a leader, that 
she will become a scientist or elected official and that she will keep 
her sights high. Brenau women are leaders in their chosen professions 
and in their communities.
   Under Jack Burd's leadership, the arts assumed center stage at 
Brenau. The Permanent Art Collection, now one of the fastest growing 
collections of any college in the United States, boasts more than 1,200 
pieces with such names as Renoir and Lichtenstein. Nationally and 
internationally acclaimed artists exhibit regularly at Brenau with 
works seldom seen outside New York or Los Angeles. School children by 
the thousands come to view exhibits and experience hands-on workshops 
hosted by the art & design department. The performing arts have also 
flourished under Burd's direction. He negotiated one of the first ever 
collaborations in higher education between a public institution, 
Gainesville College, and a private institution, Brenau. The merger, 
called the Gainesville Theatre Alliance, has brought accolades and 
honors, regionally and nationally, to all involved.
   During Jack Burd's tenure the campus, located in downtown 
Gainesville, Georgia, has enlarged to include a new library, a new 
business and communication arts building, performing arts center, 
fitness center, tennis center, several student houses and apartment 
buildings. There has been extensive renovation of buildings listed on 
the National Register of Historic Places--upgrading 19th century 
buildings for 21st century use. By preserving the university's 
heritage, Jack Burd brought stability to a neighborhood of Gainesville 
that is but two blocks from the center of town. Once a declining area 
with many structures in need of repair, Burd's endeavors and 
fundraising increased property values and the safety and security of 
the area, and revitalized what is now a vibrant, desirable area.
  Spare time is hard to come by for a president of a busy college. But, 
Jack found time to lend his considerable talents for leadership and 
organizational planning to myriad community service groups such as 
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Advisory Board, First United Methodist 
Church, the Women's College Coalition, the Gainesville/Hall County 
Chamber of Commerce, Crawford W. Long Museum, Gainesville Symphony and 
the Georgia Association of Colleges.
  In conclusion, to list all of the Brenau's accomplishments under Dr. 
Burd's leadership would be laborious and impossible. But a few notable 
ones that occurred over the past nineteen years include; increasing 
enrollment by more than 60 percent to 2,300 students; adding 7 graduate 
level degrees; renovating, constructing, and acquiring 19 campus 
buildings; obtaining national accreditation; and improving the 
university's financial situation dramatically from a meager endowment 
of $2.5 million in 1985 to more than $50 million today. There is no 
operational deficit and the university's economic contribution to the 
region is estimated to be $38 million.
  How can one exaggerate the importance of what this man has given to 
northeast Georgia? He leads a private college that manages its finances 
wisely, contributes to the economic welfare of all, returns highly 
qualified people to the workforce, and augments our quality of life 
with cultural events that feed the soul.
  Thank you Dr. John S. Burd for all you have given the citizens of 
northeast Georgia. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________