[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 72 (Friday, May 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


HONORING DR. JAMES DEEGAN FOR HIS 28 YEARS OF SERVICE TO ECKERD COLLEGE

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                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 18, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. James 
Deegan, the Vice President and Dean of Special Programs at Eckerd 
College, upon his retirement after 28 years of service to the college's 
students, faculty and staff.
  Dr. Deegan is a nationally recognized advocate and expert in the 
field of lifelong learning and was an architect in developing a unique 
program called Eckerd College's Senior College. Now known as the Osher 
Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College, the program has provided 
a series of noncredit, continuing education courses for our local 
residents. Senior College was the third program at Eckerd targeted 
toward retirees, but each offers something different. Elderhostel is 
marketed nationally and provides short-term residential learning 
programs for people from all over the country. The Academy of Senior 
Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC)--started in the early 1980s and 
incorporated into Special Programs in 2002--offers the intense 
connections of a close, almost familial, membership group that meets 
together regularly. ASPEC members are also more integrated into 
Eckerd's residential program, working with faculty, hosting a freshman 
picnic, mentoring African American students, and sponsoring lectures 
for the community. Senior College, in contrast, offers classes, tours, 
and discussion groups for local residents who come and go according to 
their interests and schedules. They tend to be younger retirees who 
want to meet a wide range of people and be more active.
  Upon arriving at Eckerd College in June 1984 as the third Dean of 
Special Programs, Jim has told me that he was immediately impressed 
with the variety of programs that took seriously the concept of 
lifelong learning, with programs for young children through retirees. 
Under Jim's direction, Eckerd's Special Programs now stand out 
nationally.
  Among the other programs developed under Jim's direction is the 
Leadership Development Institute, which was established in 1980. Its 
original offering was the intensive, five-day Leadership Development 
Program in affiliation with the Center for Creative Leadership in 
Greensboro, North Carolina. This leadership course is offered worldwide 
by CCL and has probably been attended by more people than any other 
leadership program.
  Special Programs expanded under Jim's leadership with the creation of 
the Center for Conflict Dynamics. The idea grew out of a request from 
the Center for Creative Leadership for an original assessment 
instrument on conflict. Special Programs met the request by contracting 
with some of Eckerd's psychology faculty to develop the Conflict 
Development Profile. The successful tool solidified the college's 
relationship with the Center for Creative Leadership and became the 
foundation for an expanding range of services for corporations and 
government agencies seeking to improve their ``conflict competence.'' 
The Profile has since been translated into multiple languages and is 
sold worldwide, and the Center for Conflict Dynamics is now working 
with clients in Germany, Brazil, and China.
  The Leadership Development Institute has also expanded its services 
during Jim's tenure. In addition to the core Leadership Development 
Program, the institute has added other CCL-affiliated courses, 
developed original open-enrollment courses, and added customized 
leadership training taught on-site at companies. Since 1980, LDI has 
taught more than 450 5-day Leadership Development courses to more than 
7,500 students and served another 3,000 students in other courses.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a true honor to salute Jim Deegan's contributions 
to Eckerd College and our community over the past 28 years. Under his 
stewardship, Eckerd is one of the few undergraduate institutions of its 
size to have a continuing education program the size of Special 
Programs. It has generated significant revenue for the college and it 
has transformed lives--from the graduates who never thought they'd earn 
a diploma to retirees who needed a sense of belonging, from 
international students finding their way in a new country to countless 
Eckerd employees who learned to believe in themselves. I would ask my 
colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. James Deegan for a job well done 
and in wishing him all the best in his retirement.

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