[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 145 (Thursday, September 27, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12314-S12315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF STEPHEN JOEL TRACHTENBERG AS PRESIDENT 
                  OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

 RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE 20 YEARS OF SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF 
          DR. JAMES HADLEY BILLINGTON AS LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged and the Senate now proceed to the consideration 
of S. Res. 210 and S. Res. 336, en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolutions by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 210) honoring the accomplishments of 
     Stephen Joel Trachtenberg as president of the George 
     Washington University in Washington, DC, in recognition of 
     his upcoming retirement in July 2007.
       A resolution (S. Res. 336) recognizing and honoring the 20 
     years of service and contributions of Dr. James Hadley 
     Billington as Librarian of Congress.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions en bloc.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions 
to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolutions (S. Res. 210 and S. Res. 336) were agreed to.
  The preambles were agreed to.
  The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:

                              S. Res. 210

       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg has served since 1988 as 
     the 15th president of The George Washington University;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg served as the third 
     president of the University of Hartford in Hartford, 
     Connecticut, from 1977 to 1988;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, a native of Brooklyn, 
     New York, was an accomplished author, scholar, and educator, 
     and has earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues, 
     peers, and students;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg earned a bachelor of arts 
     degree from Columbia University in 1959, a juris doctor 
     degree from Yale University in 1962, and a master of public 
     administration degree from Harvard University in 1966;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was selected as a Winston 
     Churchill Traveling Fellow for study in Oxford, England, in 
     1968;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was celebrated by the 
     Connecticut Region of Hadassah with the Myrtle Wreath Award 
     in 1982, was presented with The Mt. Scopus Award from Hebrew 
     University in Jerusalem in 1984, and received the Human 
     Relations Award from the National Conference of Christians 
     and Jews in 1987;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was honored with the 
     Distinguished Public Service Award from the Connecticut Bar 
     Association in 1988, and was recognized by the Hartford 
     branch of the National Association for the Advancement of 
     Colored People for his contributions to the education of 
     minority students;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received the 
     International Salute Award in honor of Martin Luther King, 
     Jr. in 1992, and the Hannah G. Solomon Award from the 
     National Council of Jewish Women;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was awarded the John Jay 
     Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in 1995 by 
     Columbia University, the Newcomen Society Award, and the 
     Spirit of Democracy Award from the American Jewish Congress;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received an honorary 
     doctor of medicine degree from the Odessa State Medical 
     University in Ukraine in 1996, the Distinguished Service 
     Award from the American Association of University 
     Administrators, and the B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received the Department 
     of State Secretary's Open Forum Distinguished Public Service 
     Award in 1997, and the Grand Cross, the highest honor of the 
     Scottish Rite of Freemasonry;
       Whereas ``Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Day'' was declared by 
     resolution of the Council of the District of Columbia on 
     January 22, 1998, in honor of his commitments to minority 
     students, scholarship programs, public school partnerships, 
     and community service;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was honored by Boston 
     University in 1999, where he previously served as a vice 
     president and as an academic dean, with an honorary doctor of 
     humane letters degree;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received the Tree of Life 
     Award from the Jewish National Fund;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was named a Washingtonian 
     of the Year 2000 by Washingtonian Magazine, was decorated as 
     a Grand Officier Du Wissam Al Alaoui by King Mohammed VI of 
     Morocco in 2000, and was awarded the Order of St. John of 
     Jerusalem, Knight Grand Cross for Distinguished Service to 
     Freemasonry and Humanity;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received honorary doctor 
     of laws degrees from Southern Connecticut State University, 
     the University of New Haven, Mount Vernon College, and 
     Richmond College in London;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was named a Fellow of the 
     American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded the 
     Department of the Treasury's Medal of Merit;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received the Humanitarian 
     Award from the Albert B. Sabin Institute, and the District of 
     Columbia Business Leader of the Year Award from the District 
     of Columbia Chamber of Commerce;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg performed public service 
     as an attorney with the Atomic Energy Commission, as an aide 
     to former Indiana Representative John Brademas, and as a 
     special assistant at the Department of Health, Education, and 
     Welfare;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg authored ``Reflections on 
     Higher Education'', published in 2002, ``Thinking Out Loud'', 
     published in 1998, and ``Speaking His Mind'', published in 
     1994;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg serves on the boards of 
     the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel and the 
     International Association of University Presidents, and as a 
     member of the Council on Foreign Relations;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, as president of The 
     George Washington University, opened new buildings for the 
     School of Business and the Elliott School of International 
     Affairs and a new hospital, and added the Mount Vernon 
     Campus, formerly the Mount Vernon College for Women, to the 
     university;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, as president of The 
     George Washington University, created 5 new schools, the 
     School of Public Health and Health Services, the School of 
     Public Policy and Public Administration, the College of 
     Professional Studies, the Graduate School of Political 
     Management, and the School of Media and Public Affairs;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, as president of The 
     George Washington University, ``reinvented'' the university's 
     position and positive reputation as Washington, DC's center 
     of scholarship;
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will continue, after 
     retiring as the third-longest-serving president of The George 
     Washington University, as University Professor of Public 
     Service and President Emeritus; and
       Whereas Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and his wife, Francine 
     Zorn Trachtenberg, have 2 sons, Adam and Ben: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors and salutes the accomplishments of Stephen Joel 
     Trachtenberg and recognizes his deeds throughout his 19 years 
     of service as president of The George Washington University 
     in Washington, DC;
       (2) recognizes the accomplishments and achievements of 
     Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in higher education, as an author, 
     as an attorney, and as a public official; and
       (3) based upon his service, extends its appreciation to 
     Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in recognition of his retirement as 
     president of The George Washington University.

                              S. Res. 336

       Whereas Dr. James H. Billington was nominated to be the 
     13th Librarian of Congress by President Ronald Reagan in 
     1987, and was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as 
     Librarian of Congress on September 14, 1987;
       Whereas the world renowned collections of the Library of 
     Congress, the largest and most comprehensive in history, have 
     grown by almost 50,000,000 items since Dr. Billington became 
     Librarian, totaling more than 135,000,000 today;
       Whereas, during Dr. Billington's tenure, the Library of 
     Congress modernized its collection through the creation of 
     the National Digital Library Program, the American Memory 
     program, THOMAS, and the World Digital Library;

[[Page S12315]]

       Whereas the Librarian created the first ever private sector 
     philanthropic and advisory group, The Madison Council, to 
     spearhead countless programs for the Library and assist in 
     its funding efforts;
       Whereas the Library of Congress has successfully acquired 
     the 1507 Martin Waldseemuller map, the Martin Carson 
     collection of early Americana, the Jay Kislak early Americas 
     collection, and has also continued the preservation of 
     Library collections and promoted cultural and educational 
     outreach programs through the added assistance of private 
     contributions and in-kind gifts collected during Dr. 
     Billington's tenure;
       Whereas, during James Billington's Librarianship, the 
     Library of Congress has displayed its treasures and those of 
     other Nations in more than 300 spectacular and enriching 
     exhibitions at the Library and on its Internet website;
       Whereas, during Dr. Billington's tenure, the Library of 
     Congress has been a leader in the library world in 
     establishing systems to protect vast collections such as the 
     National Recording Registry and the National Digital 
     Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, 
     developing cutting edge preservation developments to maintain 
     and protect multiple format collections for future 
     generations, and also ensuring the security of staff, 
     researchers, and visitors;
       Whereas the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress was 
     established during the Librarian's tenure to foster mutually 
     enriching interaction between the scholarly world and policy 
     makers and supports the $1,000,000 Kluge Prize honoring 
     lifetime achievements in the humanities;
       Whereas the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson and John 
     Adams buildings were restored by Congress over a multi-year 
     period and reopened to the public in 1997, restoring in 
     particular the century-old Jefferson Building to its former 
     glory as one of the most beautiful buildings in America;
       Whereas Dr. Billington has overseen the consolidation of 
     the Library's recorded sound and moving images in a large-
     scale digital storage archive at the Packard Campus for 
     Audio-Visual Conservation, which was constructed through a 
     unique private-public partnership with the Packard Humanities 
     Institute;
       Whereas the Library of Congress and First Lady Laura Bush 
     instituted and have co-sponsored the very popular National 
     Book Festival annually since 2001, celebrating the joy of 
     reading and the creativity of America's writers and 
     illustrators;
       Whereas the programs of the Library of Congress, including 
     the National Digital Library which processed over 
     5,000,000,000 transactions in 2006 alone, have made freely 
     available to the American people millions of historical items 
     in the Library's incomparable collection through online 
     databases, including 11,000,000 rare primary source materials 
     from its collection, to invigorate and promote lifelong 
     learning in every locality in the United States: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate recognizes and honors the 20 
     years of service and contributions of Dr. James Hadley 
     Billington as Librarian of Congress.

                          ____________________