[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 160 (Thursday, October 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN'S WILLIAM 
                           DAVIDSON INSTITUTE

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                           HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                               of michigan

                     in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, October 5, 2017

   Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 25 years of the 
University of Michigan's William Davidson Institute (WDI). The 
Institute has helped shape businesses and social welfare through its 
distinguished international service and education.
   In 1992, Guardian Industries, an international manufacturer of glass 
products, determined the importance of establishing an educational 
institute to contribute to the economic transformation that was 
occurring throughout the world as new market economies began to develop 
in previously socialist countries. They named it in honor of then 
Guardian Industries Chairman, President and CEO, William Davidson. Mr. 
Davidson envisioned a world class institute that helps ``forge a path 
for those responsible for economic change in emerging markets.'' Since 
its founding, the William Davidson Institute has cultivated a 
repository of methods and resources for creating a market economy that 
is unmatched in its breadth and depth. From economic education to 
increased access to healthcare, WDI works with countries and world 
leaders to analyze specific areas of need and to institute change.
   The Institute's main initiatives include education, financial sector 
development, health care, performance measurement and scaling impact. 
Staff at the William Davidson Institute work alongside businesses, 
government agencies and other academic institutions to implement 
initiative-based programs and economic change. Programs run by the 
Institute include: operating a community college initiative in Jordan 
that fosters business skills and vocational coursework, assessing 
equipment needed for a new hotel in Ethiopia, instituting wireless 
telecommunication service in rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa 
and South Asia, and upgrading the University of Liberia's accounting 
program to meet international education standards. The institute also 
serves as a partner to other international programs, including Goldman 
Sachs' 10,000 Women Program that helps underprivileged women in Rwanda 
grow their self-owned small businesses. Over the past 25 years, the 
William Davidson Institute has been a global leader in international 
economic development and social freedom. I know this Institute will 
continue to effect meaningful change in countries across the world.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the William 
Davidson Institute on its 25th anniversary. The Institute has been 
instrumental in growing economies and empowering business leaders 
internationally.

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