[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 172 (Tuesday, December 21, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S10928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. ANTHONY CERNERA

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, today I recognize the 
tremendous work of Dr. Anthony Cernera, a good friend and the very 
accomplished president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. 
After 22 years of distinguished service to the Sacred Heart community, 
Tony is moving on to pursue new and different opportunities in Catholic 
education and beyond.
  Since 1988, Dr. Cernera has led Sacred Heart with purpose and grace 
as he helped to fulfill the college's mission of preparing its students 
to be contributing members of the global community. He expanded this 
noble mission by increasing the school's reach and the opportunities it 
offers, all while preserving the rich Catholic intellectual tradition 
that forms its identity. He helped transform Sacred Heart from a small 
commuter school serving Fairfield and the neighboring community into a 
vibrant residential university, introducing new and innovative degree 
programs and course offerings to keep pace with an ever-changing world. 
The progress he achieved helped advance a value-driven education that 
will enrich the lives of all who receive it.
  Dr. Cernera embodies the many deeply held values that Sacred Heart 
espouses. He does not see the world around him for what it is, but 
instead for what it can be. Where he sees promise, he leads through 
action. With the creation in 1992 of the Center for Christian-Jewish 
Understanding of Sacred Heart University, Dr. Cernera has striven for a 
world of greater interreligious dialogue, understanding and respect. As 
President of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, a 
federation of over 200 Catholic educational institutions around the 
world, Dr. Cernera has led at a global level, spreading the faith and 
values that define his life's work. In a world too rife with conflict 
and distrust, he has been a model member of the global community.
  Dr. Cernera leaves behind a lasting legacy at Sacred Heart 
University, with an impact that reaches far beyond the halls on campus 
and that will touch many lives for a long time to come. I wish him and 
his wife Ruth my very best as they embark on the next great chapter of 
their lives.

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