[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E711-E712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO DR. TOMAS A. ARCINIEGA ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CALVIN M. DOOLEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 2004

  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Dr. Tomas A. Arciniega for his 20 years of distinguished service as the 
president of California State University-Bakersfield. His retirement in 
July 2004 concludes a remarkable career noted for his leadership in the 
development of CSU-Bakersfield as a major regional university. 
Throughout his career, Dr. Arciniega has been a tireless advocate for 
expanded access to higher education for low-income and minority 
students in California's San Joaquin Valley.
  Dr. Arciniega was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and earned a 
bachelor's degree in teacher education from New Mexico State University 
and a master's degree in educational administration from the University 
of New Mexico. His early career included military service as an officer 
in the United States Army and an appointment by the United States 
Foreign Service as a human resources advisor in the Dominican Republic 
during the late 1960's.

[[Page E712]]

  Dr. Arciniega's teaching career began in El Paso, Texas and later he 
served as Dean of Education at San Diego State University and as 
Provost at California State University-Fresno. His appointment as the 
third president of CSU-Bakersfield in 1983 ushered in an era of steady 
expansion and achievement at the university. As a result of Dr. 
Arciniega's leadership, the university's multi-cultural enrollment has 
more than doubled and its budget has more than tripled.
  CSU-Bakersfield's success has been due in large part to Dr. 
Arciniega's efforts to focus public attention on the needs of low-
income and minority students, who form the country's fastest-growing 
school-age population. Many of Dr. Arciniega's peers have credited him 
with helping to make higher education a reality for thousands of 
students for whom college would have been impossible a generation ago. 
He is a widely published expert on higher education administration, 
bilingual education, and multicultural education. During his 
distinguished career, Dr. Arciniega also served as a technical 
consultant to the Ministries of Education in Honduras, Bolivia, Panama, 
and Guatemala.
  Dr. Arciniega is a highly respected community leader in the Central 
Valley and continues to inspire young people around the country to 
pursue higher education as a means to improve their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. 
Tomas A. Arciniega for a highly successful career on the occasion of 
his retirement as president of CSU-Bakersfield. I wish him the best of 
luck and continued success.

                          ____________________