[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF DR. BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman College, who will be 
retiring after thirteen years as distinguished leader of the school. 
She will be honored at a farewell reception on Friday, April 24, 2015, 
at 6:00 p.m. at The Spelman College Suites Dining Hall on campus.
  Born on September 27, 1954, in Tallahassee, Florida, Dr. Tatum 
attended Wesleyan University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts 
degree in Psychology. Afterward, she attended the University of 
Michigan, Ann Arbor, for a Master of Arts degree and a Ph.D. in 
Clinical Psychology, and then Hartford Seminary for a Master of Arts 
degree in Religious Studies.
  Dr. Tatum's professional involvement in higher education began in 
1980 and spanned a number of prominent institutions. At the University 
of California at Santa Barbara, she lectured in the Department of Black 
Studies, and later held professorships in psychology at Westfield State 
College and Mount Holyoke College. Also during her time at Mount 
Holyoke, Dr. Tatum served as chair of the Department of Psychology and 
Education. In 1998, she became Vice President for Student Affairs and 
Dean of the College and, in 2002, she was appointed acting president of 
the College.
  In the meantime, she also advanced a career as a distinguished 
clinical psychologist with her own independent practice between 1988 
and 1998. Focusing her studies on diversity in organizational 
development and racial identity, she is the author of Can We Talk About 
Race? And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation; 
Assimilation Blues: Black Families in White Communities: Who Succeeds 
and Why?; and ``Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the 
Cafeteria?'' And Other Conversations about Race, the latter of which 
was celebrated as the 1998 Multicultural Book of the Year by the 
National Association of Multicultural Education.
  In 2002, she was appointed president of Spelman College. Through her 
steady and transformational leadership, the institution now ranks among 
the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country. Faculty research has 
flourished, and funding for student scholarships has tripled since 
2002. Alumnae contributions to the annual fund have also tripled and a 
generous gift donation in 2008 helped establish the Gordon-Zeto Fund 
for International Initiatives, providing critical resources for 
international students as well as travel support for faculty and 
students alike.
  In addition to these successes, Dr. Tatum has overseen the expansion 
of on-campus housing capacity by more than 25 percent to provide 
opportunities for even more students, made possible in part by the 
construction of a ``green'' residence hall in 2008. As president, she 
also made the landmark decision to end the College's limited 
participation in NCAA intercollegiate sports, and instead pioneer a 
campus wellness initiative to encompass a wider range of students.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Tatum is not only an educator, she is an innovator. 
The developments she engineered serve as the foundation of Spelman 
College's Strategic Plan for 2015, which focuses on supporting 
leadership and service, enhancing an interdisciplinary curriculum, 
fostering undergraduate research and internships, strengthening 
alumnae-student connections, promoting sustainability, and advancing 
global initiatives.
  Outside of this tremendous scholastic dedication, Dr. Tatum is also 
actively involved in the community. She has presided on a variety of 
boards and served with a number of organizations at the local, state, 
and national levels. Moreover, she was appointed by President Barack 
Obama to serve on the Advisory Board for the White House Initiative on 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She has received numerous 
awards and commendations, including the 2013 Carnegie Academic 
Leadership Award. Dr. Tatum shares her life and accomplishments with 
her husband, Dr. Travis Tatum, and their two sons, Travis Jonathan and 
David.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Beverly 
Daniel Tatum for her thirteen remarkable years as President of Spelman 
College. Her leadership is impressive in itself but more than 
structures, more than money, and more than rankings, she advanced the 
very character of the institution through its people. In being a role 
model for the young women of this premier institution, she has helped 
countless individuals strive to fulfill their sincere potential in this 
world, making the aims of Spelman College become realized.

                          ____________________