[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 20 (Thursday, February 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF DR. FRANK BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2008

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Frank 
Douglas Brown, a man who has given his life to serving others through 
his leadership in higher education.
  Frank Douglas Brown graduated from Flomaton High School, in Flomaton, 
Alabama, a town of less than 2,000 people on the southern border of the 
state. He achieved an Associate's Degree in Business Administration 
from Northwest Mississippi Community College and went on to the 
University of Southern Mississippi where he earned his Bachelor's in 
Business Administration. After working in private industry for several 
years, and meeting and marrying the former Jo Ann Nichols of Bessemer, 
Alabama, he went to the University of Alabama for his MBA.
  He then went to work for IBM as a systems engineer and marketing 
representative. Eventually, he left and earned his Doctorate in Higher 
Education Administration from Florida State University in 1974.
  From there, Frank went to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education 
in Montgomery, Alabama, where he served as associate executive 
director. He stayed until 1978 and went to the University of Houston, 
University Park, in Texas. In 1981 Columbus College brought him to 
Columbus as the young college's new vice president for business and 
finance. Seven years later, on January 14, 1988, Dr. Frank D. Brown was 
appointed as the institution's third president.
  Since his appointment, Frank has guided the college through 
unprecedented growth. Under his leadership, the college became Columbus 
State University, and now offers more than 50 undergraduate programs 
and more than 35 Master's or specialist programs. He leads a staff and 
faculty of more than 600, and a student body of 7,500.
  Also during his tenure at CSU, the university has developed 
partnerships with the community, business and industry, education and 
governments that some say are stronger than any other university in the 
country.
  The most recent indication of the university's level of respect may 
be the success of CSU's capital campaign, An Investment in People. When 
the campaign was first being considered in the late 1990s, many 
considered the originally proposed goal of about $35 million too 
ambitious. At its conclusion, the campaign exceeded $100 million.
  Madam Speaker, Frank Brown has been a tireless volunteer, is active 
in many civic organizations, and is an enthusiastic advocate not only 
for Columbus State University, but for the area. I am honored to be 
able to call Dr. Brown a friend, I commend him for his many years of 
service, and wish him a happy, healthy, and blessed retirement. He will 
be missed.

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