[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 166 (Friday, October 5, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL POSEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 5, 2018

  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 60th anniversary 
of Florida Institute of Technology (``Florida Tech''). Dr. Jerome P. 
Keuper founded this private, non-profit university as a ``night school 
for missilemen,'' allowing workers at Cape Canaveral to pursue graduate 
education. Initially named ``Brevard Engineering College,'' Florida 
Tech held its first classes on September 22, 1958.
  Since its humble beginnings, Florida Tech has soared to great 
heights. The university now serves nearly 10,000 students through its 
Melbourne campus, its extended study sites across the nation, and its 
online facilities.
  Boasting more than 60,000 alumni around the world, Florida Tech has 
earned a spot in U.S. News & World Report as the number one national 
university in attractiveness to international students. This is the 
fourth year in a row that Florida Tech has been recognized for its 
diverse student body.
  Florida Tech has also been recognized for the remarkable leadership 
of President T. Dwayne McCay and First Lady Mary Helen McCay. This past 
November, the couple was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of 
Fame in honor of the 15 joint patents they hold in the field of 
metallurgical engineering.
  Mayors Kathleen Meehan of Melbourne and Hal Rose of West Melbourne 
have testified to the significant educational and cultural 
contributions that Florida Tech has made to the region, the state, the 
nation, as well as the globe. Through ``the university's core values of 
research to benefit all humankind; student success for a lifetime; and 
good global citizenship,'' Florida Tech has raised the bar for every 
institution of higher education.
  Last month marked 60 years since the founding of the university that 
began its life as ``countdown college.'' Mayor William Capote of Palm 
Bay delivered remarks at the anniversary celebration, and, in a fitting 
touch, Florida Tech commemorated its achievement by launching fireworks 
into the sky, reminding many graduates of the rockets and satellites 
they have helped launch beyond Earth's atmosphere.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Florida Tech, as 
well as its faculty, staff, students, and graduates. Please rise in 
honor of the university's 60 years of educating excellence.

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