[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 32 (Wednesday, March 16, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY, AN OUTSTANDING HBCU AND A TRULY 
                  GREAT INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 15, 2005

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise 
to pay tribute to Florida Memorial College, which will become Florida 
Memorial University during campus ceremonies to be held on Friday, 
March 18, 2005.
  Founded in 1879 as the Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak, Florida 
under the aegis of the Baptist Church and the leadership of the Rev. 
Matthew Gilbert, Florida Memorial is one of the oldest academic centers 
in Florida. It was later transferred to Jacksonville in 1892 as the 
Florida Baptist Academy. It was on this campus that faculty member J. 
Rosamond Johnson and his brother James Weldon Johnson co-wrote ``Lift 
Ev'ry Voice and Sing,'' which is now known as the Negro National 
Anthem.
  In 1968 the College moved to Miami, Florida where it has grown to 
include a student body of 1,378 students from all over Florida, the 
Nation and the Caribbean. President Dr. Albert E. Smith has provided 
inspired leadership of the institution and its 66-member faculty. Dr. 
Smith has been very effective in attracting talented professors and 
students, and in shaping one of Florida's most beautiful college 
campuses.
  Florida Memorial offers thirty-eight degree programs through its 
seven academic divisions. It is accredited by the Commission on 
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and 
is recognized by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and 
Programs (ACBSB) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher 
Education (NCATE).
  Throughout its glorious history, Florida Memorial has graduated 
thousands of professionals who have made history and are making 
productive, innovative contributions to this Nation and the world. It 
is for this reason that this transformation from Florida Memorial 
College to Florida Memorial University is genuinely deserved, for it 
manifests in no small measure the excellence of its programs and its 
significance in our community.
  My best wishes to President Smith, his staff, faculty, student body 
and alumni on this great achievement. It is thrilling to imagine what 
this great institution will achieve in the next 124 years.

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