[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        TO COMMEMORATE THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

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                        HON. DAVID N. CICILLINE

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2014

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 250th 
academic year of Brown University. This prestigious institution has 
been a source of pride for Rhode Island since 1764 and was one of the 
first colleges in the country. Throughout its history, Brown has 
attracted some of the best and brightest talent from around the world, 
and is known for a student body that is driven by a desire for free 
thought and self-determined education. Brown University is a treasured 
Rhode Island institution, and I am honored to recognize the integral 
role it has maintained in our community for the last two and a half 
centuries.
   As one of the oldest universities in the United States, Brown 
University has infused its students with a deep and abiding dedication 
to public service. Brown's student body is remarkably intelligent and 
high-achieving. But this institution also challenges its students to be 
more than intelligent; it challenges students to sincerely consider how 
they can make the world a better place. Brown University encourages its 
students to explore their interests while serving local communities in 
Providence, the State of Rhode Island, the United States, and 
throughout the global community. With its famed Open Curriculum, this 
renowned university stands as a monument of free thought, allowing 
students to challenge themselves to grow not only academically, but 
also as citizens of the world.
   Brown University has long drawn premier talent from a wide range of 
academic disciplines to historic College Hill. For example, the Brown 
University BrainGate research team was recently recognized for its work 
developing neurotechnology for individuals with neurologic disease, 
injury, or limb loss. Researchers and students at Brown have also been 
recognized for their work related to the discovery of the Higgs Boson, 
Superfund cleanups in Rhode Island, and important advances in public 
health. In addition to generating top-notch work on campus, Brown has 
also graduated alumni who excel in the arts, government, technology, 
medicine, business, athletics, and a diverse set of other professions. 
Some notable alumni include Horace Mann, the father of American public 
education, philanthropist and businessman John Rockefeller Jr., 
President of the World Bank Dr. Jim Yong Kim, and the Honorable Janet 
Yellen, who is the first woman to serve as Chair of the Federal 
Reserve. And in my home state of Rhode Island, alumni such as Governor 
Lincoln Chafee, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, and former 
Attorney General Patrick Lynch have served in important positions in 
government.
   Over the past 250 years, Brown University's history has been deeply 
intertwined with our nation's story. Brown has evolved during moments 
of tremendous transition--our fight for independence, the Civil War, 
the Great Depression, the Industrial Revolution, and the digital age--
but it continues to reflect the principles of nondiscrimination and 
freedom of conscience rooted in Rhode Island's founding. I am confident 
that Brown will continue to grow in the next 250 years, and its 
hallowed halls will welcome brilliant and curious students for 
generations to come.
   Finally, on a personal note, I am proud to have attended and 
graduated from Brown University, and I am even more proud to represent 
this fine institution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
   Congratulations on 250 years.

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