[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DR. ROBERT E. WITT, CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2016

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and honor Dr. 
Robert E. Witt for his academic career and the impact he had on higher 
education. As Dr. Witt closes another successful chapter of his life as 
the Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, I believe it is 
important to recognize a few of his numerous accomplishments and his 
service to the nation and to the great State of Alabama.
  Dr. Robert Witt began his educational endeavors at Bates College in 
Lewiston, Maine, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 
1962. In 1964, Witt received his MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth 
College, and his Ph.D. in Business Administration from Penn State in 
1968. Over the next 35 years, he established a career of excellence in 
higher education. Dr. Witt served in various positions at The 
University of Texas, including serving as dean of the Business School 
at the University of Texas at Austin and president of the University of 
Texas at Arlington.
  In March of 2003, Dr. Witt was appointed President of The University 
of Alabama. During his nine-year tenure as President, Witt led an 
ambitious plan for academic growth and achievement that has positioned 
UA as one of America's fastest growing public universities. In 2012, he 
was appointed by the University's Board of Directors to serve as the 
Chancellor of the University of Alabama System. The University of 
Alabama System is comprised of the universities in Tuscaloosa, 
Birmingham and Huntsville as well as the University of Alabama at 
Birmingham Health System.
  Dr. Witt has held several important roles aside from his leadership 
at the University of Alabama, including serving as the chairman of the 
Council of Presidents of Alabama's public colleges and universities. 
Dr. Witt has played a leadership role in various organizations during 
his time in Alabama which include the Governor's College & Career Ready 
Task Force; the American Cast Iron Pipe Company Board of Directors; the 
Alexis deTocqueville Executive Committee; the Advisory Board, Elizabeth 
Project Care Board. He is past chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of 
West Alabama, a past member of the Tuscaloosa County IDA Board and the 
Black Warrior Council Boy Scouts of America. In 2011 he was inducted 
into to the Alabama Academy of Honor, which is comprised of 100 living 
Alabamians elected on the basis of service to the state.
  I want to commend Dr. Witt for his success and his dedication to 
higher education. While Dr. Witt's career may be coming to a close over 
the next few months, the impact he has left on students and faculty 
will echo for several generations to come. I wish him and his family 
all the best in the future.

                          ____________________