[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 64 (Thursday, April 30, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE BARTELS FAMILY FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO 
               EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 30, 2015

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I join the 
University of New Haven's (UNH) Board of Governors and its President, 
Dr. Steven Kaplan, in recognizing the Bartels family for its 
unremitting commitment to the University and its students through 
generous support of scholarships and academic programs.
  I am honored to be a part of recognizing this tremendous family and 
formalizing this special recognition in memory of Henry E. ``Hank'' 
Bartels. Over the past forty years, Hank and Nancy Bartels, along with 
their son Philip, and his wife, Susan, have contributed immeasurably to 
UNH's development, supporting its mission of providing high quality 
experiential education, through a combination of liberal arts and real-
world, hands-on professional training. In the words of President 
Kaplan, ``The Bartels family has established an indelible legacy at 
this institution and has touched the lives of countless students.'' The 
Bartels continue this tradition by demonstrating an unwavering 
appreciation for UNH, its potential, and the promise it delivers to 
innumerable students.
  There is no greater tribute to Hank Bartels and that of the entire 
Bartels family than its most recent work in commissioning UNH's 
inaugural Washington Program. The initial launch of the program last 
fall consisted of a team of 19 students participating in the 2014 
Annual Model United Nation Conference. They were Aemin Becker, Matthew 
Belletete, Connor Briggs, Juliana Calcagno, Rob Granoth, Jamie Harron, 
James Hart, Elise Lenahan, Sarah Markland, Amanda Nash, Emily Nash, 
Samanth Paquette, Melissa Peil, Paul Raffile, Bobby Rousseau, Jessica 
Sattler, Emil Thomsen, Randi Trinidad, and Connor Vargo. In preparation 
for the competition, students were exposed to high-level briefings by 
international stakeholders based in Washington, DC and Federal 
officials integral to the operation of the UN and its missions. As a 
result of the intense preparation and high-caliber exposure to UN 
stakeholders, the UNH delegation won the Distinguished Delegation 
Award, an honor bestowed to only 14 colleges and universities out of 
the more than 100 from the U.S. and abroad that participated.
  The next installment of UNH's Washington Program consisted of a 
semester course entitled, American Rome: Washington DC--Power, 
Politics, Policy. This course exposed students to the structure and 
culture of the U.S. Federal government as it relates to the national 
security system. The course culminated in a week in Washington where 
students met with current and former officials from the Executive 
Branch, Federal Agencies, and Congress, as well as academia. During 
this week, 15 UNH students visited the White House, Pentagon, Capitol 
Hill, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Central Intelligence Agency, 
Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Naval Academy. Students included 
Naif Alharbi, Brittany Codiana, Lindsey Conley, Zachery Fiermonti, 
Michael Hagen, Sarah Hoffman, Ryan Lebel, Sebika Mazumdar, Paul 
Raffile, Richard Rotella, Elizabeth Rowan, Jonathan Trinh, Andrew 
Walles, Walter Williams, and Cassidy Yotnakparian. In the words of one 
participating student, ``This is my first Political Science/National 
Security class here at UNH, and it has truly changed my perspective on 
my future career; the trip made me want to join the Navy then work in 
Washington after a military career.'' Each student indicated the visit 
to Washington heightened interests to serve our country as military 
officials, civil servants or another capacity to enhance the country's 
national security interests.
  As a result of the Bartels family's incredible generosity, these 
students were able to travel to Washington and engage in a 
transformational experience that will undoubtedly help shape the 
careers and lives of our country's next generation of leaders. I am 
proud to join the students, faculty and university administration--
particularly Dr. Steven Kaplan, President, Dr. Daniel May, Provost, Dr. 
Lourdes Alvarez, Dean of College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Mario Gaboury, 
Dean Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, 
Dr. Chris Haynes, Assistant Professor and Political Science 
Coordinator, Dr. Matthew Schmidt, Assistant Professor of National 
Security and Political Science, Dr. Patricia Crouse, Practitioner in 
Residence, Department of Political Science, and Dr. Christy Smith, 
Assistant Professor of Public Administration--in expressing the deepest 
gratitude to the Bartels family for providing these young men and women 
with a solid foundation and instilling a sense of purpose and service 
to our great nation.

                          ____________________