[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2585-E2586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENT MOLLY C. BROAD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2005

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to Molly Corbett Broad, President of the University of North Carolina, 
who will retire from the University at the end of this month following 
more than eight years of dedicated service to the students, faculty and 
staff of the University, and to the people of North Carolina.
  During President Broad's tenure, the University of North Carolina has 
begun its journey as a model 21st-century institution. Under her 
guiding hand, North Carolina voters approved in 2000 the largest 
revenue bond issue for higher education in the history of this nation. 
Funds from the ``bond campaign'' are transforming the sixteen 
constituent campuses of the University through the construction of 
modern student housing, innovative classrooms, state-of-the-art 
laboratories and world-class facilities. Bond funds have also enabled 
UNC-TV to completely digitize its broadcasts and provided the North 
Carolina Arboretum a remarkable opportunity to make significant 
investments in its infrastructure and physical plant. During this same 
period, external grant support to the University has nearly doubled, 
surpassing $1 billion annually. All of these improvements will enable 
UNC to sustain its position as one of the premier university systems in 
the world.
  In addition, President Broad has propelled North Carolina to the 
forefront of public higher education in the use of information 
technologies across all facets of University life. Her keen vision and 
recognition of the power of information technology to transform 
education and the economy of our nation and the world is widely 
acknowledged. Whether seeking her perspective on the academic 
usefulness of peer-to-peer technologies, the virtues of online and 
blended learning in support of access and teacher preparation, or the 
promise and potential of ``open source'' applications, CEOs of major 
U.S. corporations, international institutions of higher education, 
governments and not-for-profit organizations across the globe look to 
President Broad for sage advice and foresight.
  During President Broad's tenure, UNC has also emerged as a national 
leader in ensuring access to quality higher education, especially among 
lower-income and first-to-college families. Over the past eight years, 
the number of North Carolina high school graduates going on to a two-
year or four-year college has steadily increased. As a result, North 
Carolina now has one of the highest college-going rates in the country, 
and it is still climbing. One of the keys to this success has been the 
development--in partnership with the K-12 and community college 
systems--of CFNC.org, a one-stop web-based resource that enables 
students and their families to learn how to ``prepare, apply and pay 
for college.'' Developed during the Broad administration, CFNC.org has 
become a national model in enabling colleges and universities to 
provide readily available, quality information to students and families 
about how to pay for a college education--filling a need that the 
Congress and the public have indicated is so necessary.
  Another major development that must be credited to President Broad is 
the development and growth of North Carolina's Need-Based Financial Aid 
Program. The North Carolina General Assembly has come to understand 
that as the college-going rate increases, more North Carolina students 
will come from circumstances that require financial assistance to make 
college possible. With legislative support, this need-based program has 
grown exponentially over the past several years and now provides nearly 
$60 million to needy North Carolina students.
  President Broad has also positioned the University squarely in the 
middle of North Carolina's economic revitalization. As the North 
Carolina economy transitions from historical industries such as 
tobacco, textiles and furniture to 21st-century industries like 
biotechnology, information technology and nanotechnology, President 
Broad has stressed that the University must and will play a key role in 
that transition. From the development on several campuses of 
biotechnology workforce training and research facilities to the 
emerging ``biopolis'' in Kannapolis, President Broad has guided the 
University to the forefront of efforts to re-energize the state's 
economy and prepare a brighter future for North Carolinians across the 
state.
  She has taken other steps to ensure that our children receive the 
education they will need in order to be prepared to enter the 21st-
century job market. Under President Broad's guidance, the University is 
on track to increase its certification of K-12 teachers by more than 60 
percent over five years. In addition, during the Broad years the 
University has surged forward in its collaborations with K-12 schools 
to produce the highest qualified teachers and administrators through 
such programs as NC TEACH, the North Carolina Mathematics and Science 
Education Network, and the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program.
  President Broad also has been a leader at the national and 
international levels, chairing or serving on the boards of such diverse 
organizations as the University Coalition for Advanced Internet 
Development (Internet2), the International Council on Distance 
Education, the Council on Competitiveness, and the National Association 
of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. She co-chaired the study 
group that produced the Business-Higher Education Forum report, 
``Building a Nation of Learners,'' which has contributed greatly to the 
important national discussion about the skills our college graduates 
need to be competitive workers and effective citizens in our 21st-
century global society.
  We are fortunate that President Broad's retirement from the 
University does not mean she is retiring from professional life. She 
will assume a position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel 
Hill School of Government, and we fully expect her to continue to 
contribute to the advancement of higher education in North Carolina and 
beyond for many years to come. We are very pleased, however, that she 
will have more time to spend with her devoted husband and partner, Bob 
Broad, and her wonderful children and two grandchildren.
  In closing, I want to cite several observations made by others about 
President Broad's service to the state and University over the past 
8\1/2\ years. Shortly after announcing her

[[Page E2586]]

retirement, the Raleigh News and Observer commended the President for 
her ``passionate commitment to excellence and for her effective 
shouldering of the system's noble mission of public service.'' The 
Durham Herald-Sun noted that President Broad will ``leave the state's 
public universities . . . ever stronger for her stewardship.'' And the 
University's Board of Governors recognized that ``as a result of her 
visionary leadership, this University and this state are better 
prepared to compete and prosper in a global economy.'' Of perhaps even 
more significance is the fact that President Broad was recently awarded 
the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest tribute that can be paid 
to any son or daughter of North Carolina.
  Molly Broad is one of the most personable, intelligent, 
conscientious, and committed leaders that I have ever had the pleasure 
to know. From the time of our first meeting, when I was delighted to 
learn of her intent to strengthen the university system's capacity to 
work with federal agencies and our congressional delegation, through 
our collaborative efforts to enhance research support, protect academic 
freedom, strengthen the university system's contribution to homeland 
security, and build the international component of higher education, I 
have enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to work with her. The 
people of North Carolina have benefited and will benefit for many years 
to come from President Broad's service at the helm of their university 
system. Molly, congratulations on a job well done, and thank you for 
all that you have accomplished for North Carolina.

                          ____________________