[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DR. MARK FOLEY

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Dr. 
Mark Foley, who has served with great distinction and honor at the 
University of Mobile for more than 17 years. Dr. Foley has served as 
president of the University of Mobile since 1998 and is the third 
president of the university since its founding in 1961. He will be 
retiring from his post on July 31, 2016.
  Dr. Foley came to the University of Mobile during a critical 
transitional time and led the school through a period of significant 
growth. Under his guidance, the university has flourished. Facilities 
have been updated, the school is on more solid financial footing, and 
programs and the stature of the university have improved.
  During his time at the University of Mobile, Dr. Foley led the 
university to invest $44.8 million in capital projects, including a 
recent $7 million campus enhancement program that thoroughly 
revitalized the campus. Under Dr. Foley's leadership, the university 
gained national recognition from U.S. News & World Report, America's 
Best Christian Colleges, America's Best College Buys, and many more.
  Dr. Foley helped to integrate a Christian worldview into all aspects 
of academics, campus life, and university operations at this quality 
Baptist-affiliated institution. The university now has more than 1,500 
students enrolled in over 40 undergraduate and graduate programs.
  A former truckstop operator, Dr. Foley was ordained as a Baptist 
minister in 1990 after receiving his master of divinity degree from the 
New Orleans seminary. He received his doctorate from that same 
institution in 1992 and completed postdoctoral studies in education. 
Though the university was struggling with a variety of financial 
problems when Dr. Foley took over in 1998, he turned the school around. 
The University of Mobile has continued to thrive under Dr. Foley's 
tenure.
  As a native of Mobile, AL, it has been my honor to work with Dr. 
Foley and witness the great accomplishments he has achieved at the 
University of Mobile. His hard work and genuine passion for higher 
education is apparent and the students of the University of Mobile will 
miss his leadership. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him 
for all he has done for the university, for Mobile, and for Alabama.
  I thank the Chair.

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