[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 144 (Tuesday, November 13, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ROBERT M. FRANKLIN

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2012

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Dr. Robert M. Franklin, the tenth president of Morehouse College in 
Atlanta, Georgia, in honor of his retirement after 5 years as head of 
the school. He will be honored at a reception on Friday, November 9, 
2012, in Atlanta.
  A native of Chicago, Dr. Franklin is an alumnus of Morehouse College. 
He also received a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity 
School in 1978 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity 
School in 1985. In 1973, he received an English Speaking Union 
scholarship to attend the University of Durham in England. Dr. Franklin 
is also the recipient of honorary degrees from Bethune Cookman 
University, Bates College, and Swarthmore College.
  Before he was the President of Morehouse College, Dr. Franklin served 
as the Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics at Candler 
School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also 
President of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. In 
addition, he served as a program officer in the Human Rights and Social 
Justice Program at the Ford Foundation in New York.
  Dr. Franklin is the author of three books: Crisis in the Village: 
Restoring Hope in African American Communities (2007), Another Day's 
Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis (1997), and 
Liberating Visions: Human Fulfillment and Social Justice in African 
American Thought (1989).
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Franklin has revolutionized Morehouse College in 
many ways during his five-year tenure as President. His vision for 
Morehouse College is that the institution will shape its students into 
Renaissance men who are well-educated and ethical leaders with a social 
conscience and committed to championing the causes of equality, justice 
and peace. During Dr. Franklin's tenure as President, Morehouse has 
continued to develop future leaders who are disciplined, altruistic, 
and wise.
  Under Dr. Franklin's administration, Morehouse College has been 
recognized as the Nation's best liberal arts college by Washington 
Monthly and has been a recipient of more than $60 million in federal 
grants as well as a number of gifts from prestigious organizations and 
donors. Dr. Franklin has been instrumental in the school's plan for the 
internationalization of its campus, with a special emphasis on 
curriculum and study abroad experiences. Moreover, significant updates 
and renovations have been made to Graves Hall, the oldest building on 
campus, as well as many other structures. In 2010, the Ray Charles 
Performing Arts Center was dedicated and this state of the art facility 
now serves as the practice and performance space for the College's 
world renowned Glee Club; the Morehouse Jazz Band; Morehouse College 
Jazz Ensemble; and ``House of Funk'' Marching Band.
  One of the many things I admire most about Dr. Franklin is his 
unfailing dedication to Morehouse College. After graduating from the 
school in 1975, he came back years later to lead Morehouse in its 
mission to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of 
leadership, service and self-realization. And he is still not gone for 
good! After a sabbatical as a Scholar in Residence at Stanford 
University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute, Dr. Franklin will 
return to Morehouse College as President Emeritus and Distinguished 
Professor, the college's highest honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dr. 
Robert M. Franklin for his 5 outstanding years as President of 
Morehouse College, my beloved Alma Mater. He has transformed the lives 
of countless young men and inspired them to become our future leaders.

                          ____________________