[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 37 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING DR. LAWRENCE THOMAS GERATY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing the lifetime contributions of Dr. Lawrence Thomas Geraty as 
he retires as president of La Sierra University in southern California. 
Dr. Geraty's strengths as a churchman, educator, academic, and 
administrator provide an example for us all.
  Dr. Geraty has been a college and university president for the past 
22 years, first taking on this role at Union College in South 
Lancaster, MA, in 1985. For the past 14 years he has served as 
president of La Sierra University in Riverside, CA.
  Growing up as a member of a Seventh-Day Adventist missionary family, 
Lawrence Geraty gained a broad perspective of the world, living abroad 
or attending educational institutions in China including Hong Kong, 
Burma, Lebanon, England, Germany, France, and Israel. He earned his 
bachelor's degree from Pacific Union College, then graduated from the 
Theological Seminary at Andrews University. Following his graduation, 
he served as a pastor in Santa Ana, CA, for a brief period of time. 
Thereafter, he joined Andrews Theological Seminary as a faculty member. 
After serving at Andrews, he went to Harvard University to study Hebrew 
Bible and Biblical archaeology, earning his Ph.D. with distinction and 
completing examinations in 10 languages.
  After receiving his Ph.D. Dr. Geraty returned to Andrews Theological 
Seminary to work as Professor of Archaeology and History of Antiquity. 
For the next 13 years, Dr. Geraty served as an educator and scholar in 
Jamaica, Jordan, Costa Rica, Trinidad, Europe, and Australia. During 
this period, he was a founding director of the Institute of Archaeology 
at Andrews University, led a series of major archaeological expeditions 
in the Middle East, and worked as the curator of the Horn 
Archaeological Museum.
  Dr. Geraty has had led a prominent career in academia. He was the 
recipient of a Fulbright fellowship. He served as an adviser on 
archaeology to former Crown Prince Hassan of Jordan. He served as vice 
president of the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan 
from 1982 to 2002. He represented the U.S. Office of Education in a 
delegation of administrators to study minority education in China. He 
has published roughly 50 scholarly journal articles, edited 8 books and 
provided contributions to over 30 books.
  During his tenure as president of La Sierra University, the 
university has seen tremendous growth and has played an integral role 
in the growth of inland southern California and our Nation. Between 
1993 and 2006 university enrollment nearly doubled. In 2002, a 
biotechnology laboratory opened. In 2004, U.S. News and World Report 
distinguished La Sierra University for its successes in student 
diversity. And this year, Dr. Geraty had the great distinction of being 
named ``Citizen of the Year'' by the Greater Riverside Chamber of 
Commerce.
  In his time as president of La Sierra University, Dr. Lawrence Geraty 
has provided our Nation with a role model of leadership and 
citizenship. His commitment continues to leave a legacy of service to 
academia, scholarship, education, his community and our Nation, and I 
applaud his lifetime of service as he retires.

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