[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 162 (Wednesday, October 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF DR. ELAINE MAIMON

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JESSE L. JACKSON, JR.

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 24, 2007

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Elaine Maimon as Governors State University's fifth president.
  I am proud to represent Governors State University, the only public 
university in the Chicago's south suburbs. Established in 1969, GSU's 
student body currently numbers 6,000 students, consisting primarily of 
young adults transferring from community colleges as well as older 
working adults returning to complete their education and advance their 
lives.
  On November 3, GSU will formally install Dr. Elaine Maimon as its 
fifth president.
  Dr. Maimon will lead a university committed to the principles of 
diversity. Forty-five percent of GSU's students are minority. Thirty-
one percent of its faculty is minority--double the national average.
  Dr. Maimon will lead a university that is accessible. A study 
conducted by the Lumina Foundation has recognized GSU as the most 
accessible university in the region.
  Dr. Maimon will lead a university that meets the highest standards of 
demonstrable academic quality. Eighty percent of its faculty hold 
doctoral degrees or the highest degree in their field. The university 
itself is fully accredited, as is each program with an associated 
national accrediting body.
  Dr. Maimon will lead a university connected with its community. 
Approximately 25,000 elementary, middle-school, and high school 
students visit Governors State each year for educational and cultural 
experiences. GSU faculty members work closely with local governments, 
school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help meet the needs 
of the region. The university's business development center has helped 
secure nearly $55 million in financing since 2000 and has created and 
retained more than 1,100 jobs in the region.
  More than 30,000 men and women have graduated from GSU since its 
founding. Most graduates still reside in the region, where they serve 
as teachers, healthcare professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and 
municipal leaders. Their lives have been transformed and their 
communities enriched because they had access to a quality university 
education.
  GSU is a model for the kind of university Dr. Maimon has advocated, 
developed, and enriched throughout her academic career. Over the years, 
she has invested her considerable talents to provide access and 
opportunity, to encourage dreamers to help dreams come true, and to 
help meet the needs of the underrepresented and underserved.
  She has demonstrated the integrity, vision, and commitment required 
to take GSU to new levels of excellence and service.
  Welcome, Dr. Elaine Maimon, and congratulations, Governors State 
University.

                          ____________________