[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1583-S1584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO MIKE ENZI
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, on March 29 in Laramie, the University
of Wyoming will recognize the work of Senator Mike Enzi with an
official dedication of the Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility. It is a well-
deserved honor and one that I would like to share with my fellow
Senators.
[[Page S1584]]
The state of the art facility opened in January of 2016. With more
than 107,000 square feet and over 30 labs, the University of Wyoming
Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility will allow 900 students from multiple
disciplines to be actively engaged in lab studies at the same time. The
design of the facility allows students to enjoy an active learning
environment that encourages continuous interaction between instructors
and students. Classrooms are laid out in such a way that instructors
have the flexibility to adjust their lessons to accommodate the needs
and interests of the students, ensuring that they are always in an
environment most conducive to learning.
There is no better way to honor the lifetime work of Senator Enzi
than to name this facility in his honor. Throughout his years as an
accountant and in elected office, Mike has been a solid leader who is
willing to take on tough challenges. From his time as mayor in
Gillette, a town that truly represents the definition of an American
boomtown, to his work in the U.S. Senate, Mike studies and works
through an issue and always approaches the problem with an ``I will
solve this and make it better'' attitude. This approach to problem
solving has helped Mike succeed as chairman of both the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate Budget
Committee.
Senator Enzi recognizes that if you provide people the tools to
succeed, many will. Mike understands human nature and recognizes that a
one size fits all approach to serious problems is not always the best
way to fix things. Senator Enzi believes in the ability of people to
learn, whether in the classroom, on the job, or through personal
experiences, and to take that knowledge and use it in a way to better
themselves and others.
The Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility is a perfect reflection of the man:
give people an opportunity to learn, to interact, to share, and in an
environment that works for them, and they will achieve great things.
In praising his effort to improve education in Wyoming, Chris
Boswell, University of Wyoming's vice president for governmental and
community affairs, said the following about Mike Enzi: ``He has been
very influential in crafting legislation that garners bipartisan
support in the Senate. These have been bills that moved significant
education initiatives forward. Whether as chairman or ranking member,
Senator Enzi knows how to move bills through to become law, and Wyoming
and the country are the better for it.''
I agree completely, and I congratulate Senator Enzi on this honor.
____________________