[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E871-E872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 2005

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in recognition of 
a true leader,

[[Page E872]]

scholar and public servant, Dr. Portia Holmes Shields. While we cannot 
claim her as a native of our State her extraordinary service as the 
seventh President of Albany State University has proven that she not 
only made Georgia her home these past nine years, she made it better.
  When Dr. Shields first became President of Albany State University in 
1996, she not only faced the challenge of being the first woman in that 
role, she confronted a campus ravaged by floodwaters. She met the 
challenge head-on and spearheaded a $153 million flood-recovery program 
that brought new life to the Southwest Georgia institution. Yet beyond 
improvements to the university's face and physical structure, under the 
direction of Dr. Shields, Albany State University has become an 
institution to be proud of.
  Today, enrollment is up nearly 20 percent as Albany State maintains 
the third-highest retention rate among the University System of 
Georgia's 34 colleges and universities. Since the fall of 1996, the 
average SAT scores of incoming freshmen also jumped by more than 120 
points. By following her own personal mission of putting students 
first, Dr. Shields has helped recruit the best and brightest and has 
added three new undergraduate programs at the institution including the 
state of Georgia's only forensic science program. In addition, her 
prowess as a fundraiser has been instrumental in making her vision for 
the University possible today and into the future.
  This Friday, May 6, 2005, I will join Albany State University in 
honoring Dr. Portia Holmes Shields and wishing her continued future 
success in whatever path she might choose. However, here in this 
hallowed hall, I rise on behalf of the city of Albany, the Second 
Congressional District and the State of Georgia to honor the 
extraordinary contribution that Dr. Shields has made to our community 
and to the many students whose lives she has touched. She will be truly 
missed.

                          ____________________