[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E549-E550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DR. ELSON FLOYD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 14, 2007

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Elson 
Floyd, President of the four-campus University of Missouri System. He 
was selected to run the system November 11, 2002. He is leaving to 
become the tenth President of Washington State University on June 1, 
2007.
  During his tenure as President of the System, he has brought about 
many innovative strategies which have benefited the Universities. He 
developed a System-wide Strategic Plan with measurable performance 
objectives. He established a system-wide fundraising goal of one 
billion dollars, of which 900 million dollars in documented gifts have 
been received to date toward this goal. Total enrollment increased 
7,000 since his hiring to a record high of more than 63,000 students. 
Minority student enrollment has increased on all four campuses. He has 
leveraged private support to generate 266 need-based scholarships to 
enhance student access.
  Although there have been lean budget years in the University system, 
Dr. Floyd has effectively managed them by implementing a plan to reduce 
System-wide administrative expenditures by 20 million dollars, far 
exceeding the 10 percent goal of 12.4 million dollars, reinvesting 
resources of this initiative into scholarships and financial aid, 
student services and faculty recruitment. He also developed a tuition 
guideline that holds tuition increases to the rate of inflation, 
provided that state support also keeps pace with inflation. This allows 
students and families a certain degree of predictability of college 
costs.
  Dr. Floyd is the 2004 recipient of the James C. Kirkpatrick Award for 
public service given by the Northwest Missouri Press Association. He is 
also the 2004 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the 
University of

[[Page E550]]

North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2006, students at the University of 
Missouri-St. Louis established a scholarship in his name, the 
``President Elson S. Floyd Endowed Scholarship.''
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our heartfelt 
appreciation to Dr. Elson Floyd for his leadership as President of the 
University of Missouri System. I urge my colleagues to please join me 
in conveying our gratitude to Dr. Floyd for his contributions to 
Missouri, and to wish him well in his new endeavor.

                          ____________________