[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 150 (Monday, September 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S9196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        HONORING JAMES KETELSEN

 Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I commend James Ketelsen for 
his vision and commitment to transforming the hopes of tens of 
thousands of students and families across the country through Project 
GRAD, an education reform program that he started when he was chairman 
and CEO of Tenneco in Houston, TX. Project GRAD has helped these 
students realize their academic potential and many of them have 
completed their college education with the assistance of Project GRAD 
scholarships and mentoring support from Project GRAD staff.
  Project GRAD evolved from a scholarship program that began under Mr. 
Ketelsen's leadership at Tenneco. In 1988, the company began to fund a 
4-year scholarship program for eligible graduates of Davis High School, 
at the time Houston's lowest-performing high school. By 1992, the 
number of Davis graduates entering college had more than quadrupled. 
Still, high school graduation rates and college matriculation rates 
continued to fall short of Mr. Ketelsen's expectations. He believed 
that Davis students--and all students from economically disadvantaged 
communities--were capable of much more if given the right investments 
and the right commitment. ``It's not the kids!'' he insisted. Armed 
with that belief, Mr. Ketelsen has dedicated the last two decades to 
making an enormous difference for America's highest needs students.
  Today, Project GRAD has expanded to 13 communities and reaches more 
than 120,000 students and families from California to New York, Alaska 
to Georgia. In the longest-served group of schools, GRAD scholars are 
completing college at a rate 92 percent above the national average for 
students from similar demographic backgrounds. A statistically 
significant sample of GRAD scholarship recipients who have completed 
college shows that the proportion who graduated with majors in science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics--concentrations of dire need 
for the national economy and national security--exceeded the national 
average for minority students by 71 percent. In the coming academic 
year, more than 7,500 students will attend college, funded by a Project 
GRAD scholarship. GRAD has already sent high school graduates to more 
than 100 institutions of higher education, including many of the most 
highly selective colleges and universities in the Nation. At the 
beginning of high school, many Project GRAD students would never have 
dreamed of attending Rice, the University of Texas, Texas A & M, 
Harvard, Yale, MIT, Cornell, Emory, Georgetown, or the University of 
Virginia. Yet, Mr. Ketelsen's Texas-sized vision, determination, and 
remarkable leadership of Project GRAD have transformed those 
expectations.
  I am grateful for the energy and enthusiasm with which Mr Ketelsen 
has served America's children and families. Recently, Mr. Ketelsen 
announced his decision to step down from his post as chairman of the 
board of directors for Project GRAD USA. Although he is retiring from 
Project GRAD USA, he plans to remain active with the Houston chapter of 
Project GRAD. I join with my colleagues in saluting James Ketelsen for 
his efforts to improve education and career opportunities for children 
in inner-city schools. The return on his investment in education will 
continue for generations to come. 

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