[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2241-S2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 418--TO HONOR GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY, A PREMIER 
INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE IN 
  THE UNITED STATES, ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY AND TO 
       RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF THE UNIVERSITY ON HIGHER EDUCATION

  Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 418

       Whereas in 1856, philanthropist and former postmaster 
     general Amos Kendall donated land on his estate in northeast 
     Washington, D.C. for a place to educate the city's deaf 
     youth, and, 8 years later, President Abraham Lincoln signed a 
     bill authorizing the institution to grant college degrees;
       Whereas theology graduate Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was 
     inspired to dedicate his life to educating deaf people after 
     tutoring Alice Cogswell, a 9-year-old deaf neighbor,

[[Page S2242]]

     and traveled to France, where he learned a manual 
     communication method of instruction developed by renowned 
     French educators Abbe Sicard, Laurent Clerc, and Jean 
     Massieu;
       Whereas upon returning to the United States, Gallaudet 
     established the American School for the Deaf, the first 
     permanent school for deaf children in the United States, in 
     Hartford, Connecticut;
       Whereas in 1857, Thomas Gallaudet's youngest son, Edward 
     Miner Gallaudet, took up his father's cause when he and his 
     deaf mother, Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, were invited by Kendall 
     to run the newly-established Columbia Institution for the 
     Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind in Washington, 
     D.C.;
       Whereas with Kendall's resources and Edward Gallaudet's 
     leadership and vision, the fledgling school grew and 
     flourished, expanding to provide instruction for aspiring 
     teachers of the deaf and becoming the world's first, and 
     currently only, institution of higher education devoted to 
     deaf and hard of hearing students and to hearing students who 
     with to pursue careers as professionals serving the deaf 
     community;
       Whereas following the 1969 signing of the Model Secondary 
     School for the Deaf Act (MSSD) by President Lyndon Johnson, 
     Secretary of the United States Department of Health, 
     Education, and Welfare Wilbur Cohen and Gallaudet President 
     Leonard Elstad signed an agreement authorizing the 
     establishment and operation of the MSSD on the Gallaudet 
     campus;
       Whereas in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a bill to 
     authorize the establishment of Kendall Demonstration 
     Elementary School (along with MSSD, a component of 
     Gallaudet's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center), 
     devoted to the creation and dissemination of educational 
     opportunities for deaf students nationwide;
       Whereas by an Act of Congress, Gallaudet was granted 
     university status in October 1986, and in March 1988, the 
     Deaf President Now (DPN) movement led to the appointment of 
     the University's first deaf president, Dr. I. King Jordan, 
     and the first deaf chair of the Board of Trustees, Philip 
     Bravin;
       Whereas the DPN movement has become synonymous with self-
     determination and empowerment for deaf and hard of hearing 
     people everywhere;
       Whereas the new millennium at Gallaudet has brought events 
     such as the Deaf Way II festival, the opening of the 
     technology-rich I. King Jordan Student Academic Center, and 
     the dedication of the James Lee Sorenson Language and 
     Communication Center, a unique facility that provides an 
     inclusive learning environment compatible with the visu-
     centric ``deaf way of being'';
       Whereas Gallaudet's undergraduate students can choose from 
     more than 40 majors leading to bachelor of arts or bachelor 
     of science degrees, and students can enroll in graduate and 
     certificate programs, leading to master of arts, master of 
     science, doctoral, and specialist degrees in a variety of 
     fields involving professional service to deaf and hard of 
     hearing people;
       Whereas through the Gallaudet University career center, 
     students receive internships that provide a wealth of 
     experiential learning opportunities, including placements in 
     local and Federal government offices;
       Whereas today Gallaudet is viewed by deaf and hearing 
     people alike as a primary resource for all things related to 
     deaf and hard of hearing people, including educational and 
     career opportunities, open communication and visual learning, 
     deaf history and culture, American Sign Language, and 
     technology that impacts the deaf community;
       Whereas Gallaudet student-athletes have consistently gained 
     national and international recognition over the years for 
     their accomplishments in a variety of sports, while also 
     being recognized for their success in the classroom by being 
     named All-Academic honorees within their collegiate 
     conferences by posting cumulative grade point averages of 
     3.20 or higher during the year;
       Whereas Gallaudet's anniversary goals are to--
       (1) honor its years of academic excellence;
       (2) use this milestone to launch new initiatives, 
     discussions, and partnerships that will lead the University 
     forward;
       (3) emphasize that Gallaudet is first and foremost a 
     university in which academic discourse plays a central role;
       (4) recognize the University's unique place in deaf 
     history;
       (5) acknowledge and celebrate both the continuity and the 
     change the campus has seen, including Gallaudet University's 
     progression towards a greater diversity of people and ideas;
       (6) demonstrate Gallaudet's impact on the world and 
     underscore the University's leadership role on the local, 
     national, and international level; and
       (7) highlight the continuous support of Gallaudet's alumni 
     and collaborations with the Gallaudet University Alumni 
     Association; and
       Whereas Gallaudet's 150th year theme is ``Gallaudet 
     University: Celebrating 150 Years of Visionary Leadership'', 
     and this theme will guide decisions on all activities planned 
     in recognition of Gallaudet University's sesquicentennial: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors Gallaudet University on 
     the occasion of its 150th anniversary and 
     recognizes its contributions to higher education in the 
     United States and around the world.

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