[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 73 (Friday, April 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DR. MICKEY L. BURNIM

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                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 28, 2017

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, on April 22, Bowie State University 
celebrated the leadership and career of its ninth president, Dr. Mickey 
Burnim, at its annual Founders Gala. The annual Founders Gala marks the 
anniversary of the founding of the school in 1865 that would later 
become Bowie State University. While I was, unfortunately, unable to 
join the celebration in person, I want to express my great thanks to 
Dr. Burnim for all he has achieved during his tenure and congratulate 
him on being honored at this year's gala. I also join in wishing him 
well on his upcoming retirement.
  When Dr. Burnim steps down as President of Bowie State University, he 
will complete eleven very successful years leading one of Maryland's 
great institutions of higher education and one of our nation's oldest 
and most illustrious historically black universities. Having come to 
Bowie State after serving as Chancellor of Elizabeth City State 
University in North Carolina and as Provost and Vice Chancellor of 
North Carolina Central University, Dr. Burnim brought to his presidency 
an already long and distinguished career in university administration. 
At a time when higher education costs are rising, Bowie State has been 
recognized for its outstanding value, including being ranked by The 
Economist for having the best higher education value in Maryland. An 
economist by training, Dr. Burnim has recognized the criticality of 
securing a sound fiscal future for the University, and during his time 
in office he took steps to put Bowie State on a solid footing for long-
term expansion. With new resources secured, one of the focuses of his 
tenure has been the construction of new campus buildings, including a 
new student center, a performing arts center, and a new $107 million 
facility for the study and practice of Science, Mathematics, and 
Nursing. Recognizing how important it is to connect graduates with 
career opportunities and to foster young entrepreneurs, Dr. Burnim 
worked with the City of Bowie to launch the Bowie Business Innovation 
Center on campus. Under his leadership, Bowie State has continued to 
expand the programs it offers and to conduct groundbreaking research 
across a number of disciplines. I am very proud to represent Bowie 
State University in Congress.
  Since its founding as the Baltimore Normal School after the Civil 
War, Bowie State University has served as an important nexus of 
education and opportunity for African Americans, and after 152 years it 
has grown to become one of our country's great universities and 
educates students from all backgrounds. Bowie State joined the 
University System of Maryland in 1988 and, along with the other 
institutions of higher education across our state, helps make Maryland 
one of the best places to pursue study in the country and, indeed, the 
world. Within the University System of Maryland, Bowie State has earned 
a reputation for leading in the fields of science, technology, 
engineering, the arts, and mathematics--or `STEAM'--and creating 
innovative interdisciplinary programs that bring them all together to 
prepare students for success in emerging industries of the twenty-first 
century economy. It was Dr. Burnim who led Bowie State's effort to 
adopt the Education Innovation Initiative (EI\2\), a STEAM-enrichment 
program that makes early career pathway exposure accessible to under-
represented students throughout Prince George's County.
  Dr. Mickey Burnim has been instrumental to the University's 
achievements and its strong trajectory for growth in the years ahead. I 
have been honored to work with him to ensure that Bowie State has had a 
partner in the federal government, and I thank him for all his hard 
work over the past eleven years as President and throughout his four 
decades in higher education. I wish him all the best, and I join in 
celebrating his very successful tenure that has made a real difference 
in the lives of tens of thousands of students across Maryland and the 
United States.

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