[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 80 (Thursday, May 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4279-S4280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. CARL V. PATTON

 Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish today to honor in the 
Record of the Senate a great educator in the State of Georgia. On June 
30, 2008, Dr. Carl V. Patton will retire as president of Georgia State 
University after 16 years of outstanding service.
  Dr. Patton has led Georgia State University in its transition from a 
commuter school into a vibrant research university that is home to more 
than 28,000 students representing every county in the State, every 
State in the Nation, and 160 countries.
  Georgia State has grown into one of this Nation's leading urban 
research universities, reflecting Dr. Patton's vision for a partnership 
between Atlanta and the university. Instead of designing walls to keep 
the city and its urban ways separate from the campus, he has insisted 
that the university fully integrate its research, teaching and service 
mission into the fabric of the urban environment of its downtown 
Atlanta home.
  As the university has grown physically, it has grown in stature as 
well. The College of Law, which was in its infancy when Dr. Patton 
became president in 1992, is now ranked within the top 100 law schools. 
The Andrew Young School of Public Policy, founded in 1996, has grown 
from an idea to an internationally recognized program that works in 
over 30 countries around the globe as well as at home in the areas of 
health care, environment, air quality, taxation, aging, education, 
child care, and diversity.
  The J. Mack Robinson College of Business continues to rank among the 
best in both graduate and undergraduate offerings, with two programs 
ranked in the top 10 by US News and World Report. The College of Health 
and Human Sciences leads the country

[[Page S4280]]

in research on urban health issues such as HIV, health care shortages, 
criminal justice, social work and nutrition.
  Georgia State's College of Arts and Sciences hosts one of only two 
bio-safety level 4 labs, which will move shortly into a new Science 
Park that this Congress has seen fit to support. The new Science Park 
promises to bring cutting-edge research in the bio and neurosciences 
and will facilitate the growth of bio-technology in Atlanta and beyond.
  Finally, the College of Education is hard at work partnering with 
urban schools to provide a clinical, supervised method for training our 
future teachers to ensure the success and longevity of these new 
teacher careers and, most importantly, the long-term success of our 
children who live within our major urban centers.
  Dr. Patton has lived his life in the way he hopes his students live 
theirs, tirelessly volunteering for service in his community through 
organizations such as Central Atlanta Progress, the Rotary and the 
Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation. However, his example and his hard 
work will not stop at retirement, as he plans to continue to live 
downtown and assist Georgia State in its future endeavors to raise 
capital and to expand its student body to tackle the tough issues of 
our times.
  It gives me a great deal of pleasure and it is a privilege to 
recognize on the Senate floor the contributions of Dr. Carl V. Patton 
to higher education in Georgia. He has served Georgia State University, 
the city of Atlanta, the State of Georgia and the United States of 
America very well. Dr. Patton has earned the many happy years of 
retirement ahead of him.

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