[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S10360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS

   Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate the 
University of Northern Iowa Museums and Collections for being selected 
to participate in the rigorous Museum Assessment Program sponsored by 
the American Association of Museums.
  I know that the university and the entire Cedar Falls community take 
great pride in the University Museum, the Marshall Center School, and 
the various collections that they encompass. The University Museum's 
collections and temporary exhibits focus on the natural world and 
traditional cultures. The Marshall Center School is a restored one-room 
schoolhouse, with a permanent exhibit celebrating Iowa's rural schools.
  These museums and collections make a powerful contribution to the 
cultural life of the UNI campus. They do so thanks to the quality of 
their exhibits and artifacts. Just as importantly, they do so by 
inviting the community to participate in special conferences, lectures, 
panel discussions, and other activities. The university views its 
museums not as static institutions but as active educational and 
intellectual centers, reaching out beyond the campus to the wider Cedar 
Falls community, including K-12 schools.
  The UNI Museums and Collections have been accredited by the American 
Association of Museums since 1975--an honor that is bestowed on fewer 
than 10 percent of museums in the United States. As this institution 
now begins participation in the Museum Assessment Program, it looks 
forward to an extended period of self-examination and peer review 
designed to improve its operations and programming, and to identify 
current and future challenges.
  I congratulate the UNI Museums and Collections for taking this 
important step forward in its development as an institution. And I 
salute all the outstanding professionals and volunteers whose vision 
and tireless efforts have contributed so much to the campus and to the 
entire Cedar Falls community.

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