[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 156 (Sunday, September 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF DR. CLARA YU

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, it is with bittersweet emotions that I rise 
today to thank Dr. Clara Yu on her retirement as President of the 
Monterey Institute for International Studies.
  Clara arrived on the Monterey Peninsula in 2005 and was inaugurated 
in January 2006 as the 12th president of MIIS, which had become 
affiliated with Middlebury College the year before. She literally hit 
the ground running and since that time, her persuasive personality and 
keen leadership skills helped MIIS reestablish itself both financially 
and academically.
  At the time of her investiture, Middlebury President Ron Liebowitz 
explained to a rapt Monterey audience why he lured Dr. Yu out of 
retirement to take the helm at MIIS--because she had the leadership 
qualities and academic excellence to succeed. Clara was born in China 
and educated in Taiwan and the United States. In 1978 she received a 
Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois. She 
taught at Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland before 
starting an artificial intelligence consulting firm. During her decade 
at Middlebury as Vice President for Languages, she designed the 
prototype for its internationally acclaimed International Studies 
Major.
  During her too brief tenure at the Institute, Dr. Yu led innovative 
programs such as the Academic Excellence Initiative and the innovations 
incubator program that strengthened and revitalized the school. She 
successfully guided the strategic planning process that completed the 
affiliation between MIIS and Middlebury that will ensure the academic 
excellence of MIIS for future generations. In her honor, MIIS has 
established the Clara Yu Fund for Innovation to provide seed funding 
for programs with the potential to continue to transform MIIS to meet 
the challenges of the 21st Century.
  Madam Speaker, Dr. Yu's distinguished career includes many academic 
accomplishments and accolades, but I hope none as heartfelt as the 
sincere gratitude we express today to Clara for ``a life well lived''. 
Thank you for being my friend.

                          ____________________