[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E797-E798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF DR. HORACE MITCHELL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2018

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleague, 
Congressman David Valadao, to honor Dr. Horace Mitchell, President of 
California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). Dr. Mitchell joined 
CSUB as its fourth president in 2004, and will be retiring after a near 
50-year career in education later this month.
  Horace began his professional career at his alma mater of Washington 
University, Missouri, where he received his PhD in Counseling 
Psychology. As a member of the faculty, he served in multiple 
positions, including Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and 
Sciences, Assistant Professor of Education and Black Studies, and Chair 
of the Black Studies Program. He went on to serve the University of 
California, first at Irvine for 17 years, and then Berkeley for nearly 
10 years, before learning of an opportunity nestled in the southern 
part of California's San Joaquin Valley. It was at this school--CSUB--
where Dr. Mitchell would leave perhaps the greatest mark of his 
decades-spanning career. Upon his arrival, Dr. Mitchell announced his 
goal of making CSUB the pride of the California State University 
System. Over the next decade, he worked tirelessly to make that vision 
a reality.
  Dr. Mitchell saw an untapped potential in the students he served, and 
dedicated his career to helping the student body of CSUB reach heights 
they had never seen before. Under his guidance, CSUB attained both its 
highest enrollment rate, as well as its highest graduation rate in the 
University's 53-year history. CSUB has seen its profile rise under Dr. 
Mitchell's tenure and is frequently cited as one of America's top 
public universities for both its undergraduate and post-graduate 
programs. Additionally, Dr. Mitchell was the driving force behind 
CSUB's transition to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 
Division I athletics, allowing the Roadrunners to bring Bakersfield's 
best athletic talent to the national stage.
  More than anything else, Dr. Mitchell will be remembered as a leader 
who put his students first, factoring the well being of CSUB's student 
body in every decision he made as President. To cultivate a more 
supportive learning environment, Dr. Mitchell changed CSUB's

[[Page E798]]

academic calendar from a quarter system to a semester system, offering 
students more time to focus on the demands of their curriculum. Upon 
the opening of the CSUB Children's Center, Mr. Mitchell donated his own 
money to furnish improvements to the center so that CSUB's students 
could attend courses knowing that their children would receive the best 
quality childcare a university could offer. For some, work is a means 
to a paycheck, but Dr. Mitchell's care and concern for the students and 
faculty at CSUB and the Bakersfield community was a labor of love and 
dedication.
  Mr. Speaker, we join friends, family, students, and faculty of 
California State University, Bakersfield, and the entire California 
State University System, in thanking Dr. Mitchell for his commitment to 
bettering the standard of education in the Bakersfield community and 
beyond. A man who made Bakersfield his home for 14 years, Dr. Mitchell 
saw the best that our community had to offer and, in turn, made it his 
goal to give back to that community. It has been an honor to count Dr. 
Mitchell as one of our friends, and we will always value the advice and 
guidance he dispensed over the years on everything from education 
policy to community volunteerism. After many years in public service, 
we know that Dr. Mitchell looks forward to spending more time with his 
wife, Barbara, his children, and his grandchildren. Horace will be 
missed in the world of CSUB, but we salute his lifetime of service on 
behalf of our community. We wish him the best as he begins this new 
chapter of his life.

                          ____________________