[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF DR. PETER SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2005

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and former 
member of this House, Dr. Peter Smith. Peter represented the State of 
Vermont in the House between 1989 and 1993. He built a reputation 
during his time here as an insightful, effective, and respected member. 
Peter exemplifies the spirit of respect and comity that is so often 
missing in current House business.
  In 1994, Peter moved to my Central California District to become the 
founding President of the newly created California State University 
Monterey Bay (CSUMB). CSUMB is a remarkable institution that has been 
carved out in the heart of the former Fort Ord, the largest military 
base closure in the US to date. While many of us on the Central Coast 
have played a part in the genesis and growth of CSUMB, nobody has put a 
more decisive stamp than Peter Smith on the thriving institution that 
CSUMB has become. What started in 1994 with 650 students gathered in a 
cluster of run down Army barracks had blossomed into a top flight 
University with a growing campus of newly constructed and restored 
buildings and 3,500 students. That's a record of which to be proud.
  Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1945, Peter received a B.A. from 
Princeton and, two years later, he earned a M.A. in Teaching from 
Harvard University. In 1984 he received a Doctorate in Education, also 
from Harvard University, In 1970, Peter founded the Community College 
of Vermont, and served as its first president until 1978. In 1980, he 
served as a Vermont State Senator, and from 1982 until 1986 he served 
as Vermont's Lieutenant Governor.
  Peter has devoted his life to improving the educational process, for 
the citizens of both Vermont and of the United Sates, and has received 
a number of awards for his achievements. One of his greatest awards is 
the National Council of Community Service and Continuing Education's 
Man of the Year award, which he received in 1976. In 1978, the 
University of Vermont College of Education and Social Services gave him 
their highest award for his contributions to elementary, secondary, and 
post secondary education in the State of Vermont. The Fund for the 
Improvement of Post-secondary Education and the Carnegie Corporation of 
New York awarded him a Mina Shaughnessy Fellowship grant in 1980. The 
grant allowed him to interview sixty adults across the country for his 
book about adult learning beyond school, Your Hidden Credentials. Last 
year he published groundbreaking book titled The Quiet Crisis: How 
Higher Education is Failing America where he argues that higher 
education as a whole is not organized to truly educate its students.
  Peter is now leaving CSUMB to take on the reins at UNESCO where he 
will become the first American to hold the post of Assistant Director 
General for Education. The UN leadership chose him after a worldwide 
search of candidates. Peter takes up his post in Paris, France, next 
month. We are sorry to see Peter and his wonderful wife, Sally, leave 
the Central Coast. But the Central Coast's loss will be the global 
community's gain. From his new perch, Peter will use the skill and 
wisdom that so enriched the CSUMB community and improve the future for 
millions of world's citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House when I offer our 
former colleague our sincerest thanks for his service to date and best 
wishes for his tasks ahead.

                          ____________________