[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 16, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1412-E1413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BRENDA L. LAWRENCE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2018

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Wayne State 
University in Detroit, Michigan, on the occasion of its 150th--or 
sesquicentennial--celebration. Located in the heart of Detroit, Wayne 
State University is ranked among our nation's best research 
institutions, educates over 27,000 students among 13 schools and 
colleges, and is the eighth-largest employer in the city of Detroit.
  In addition to educating and training leaders in research, the arts, 
law, and medicine, Wayne State University has for over 150 years, 
consistently served the people of Detroit, the great state of Michigan 
and our nation. Wayne State University began, and has remained, in 
Detroit--a city that has seen the highest heights and the deepest 
depths, and is now reinventing the very definition of the great 
American city.
  Through the tireless work and effort of its first university 
president, Dr. Edward W.

[[Page E1413]]

Jenks, to the current president Dr. M. Roy Wilson, Wayne State 
University is the embodiment of public service and access to education. 
Under the direction of Dr. Wilson, Wayne State University has 
dramatically increased its overall six-year graduation rate, with 
African American graduation rates double what they were just a few 
years ago. Today, Wayne State University attracts, and is composed of, 
many of the best and brightest students and researchers, with an 
excellent team of administration, faculty, and staff professionals. 
They remain firmly rooted in the community while preparing their 
diverse student body to impact locally and globally making the 
university a thriving hub of innovation and academia.
  Wayne State University has also cemented its status as a leading 
research institution and a champion for women and children in our 
nation. In fact, Wayne State University is the only site outside of 
Bethesda, Maryland, that houses a branch of the National Institutes of 
Health. Thanks to the Perinatology Research Branch, over 20,000 women, 
children, and families have received access to world-class prenatal 
health care that they might not have otherwise been able to access.
  Through the Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), the University is 
reimagining the way science approaches urban health issues. IBio was 
named the 2017 Renovated Laboratory of the Year by R&D Magazine and 
Laboratory Design. This 127,000-square-foot, $90 million facility is 
dedicated to studying and eliminating the many health disparities that 
plague residents of Detroit and communities across the country. IBio 
includes faculty with expertise in environmental sciences, bio and 
systems engineering, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and bio-
behavioral health. Opened this fall, the Mike Ilitch School of 
Business, further expands the Wayne State campus into The District 
Detroit while adding academic programs in the business of sports and 
entertainment.
  The mission of Wayne State University is to create and advance 
knowledge, prepare a diverse student body to thrive, and positively 
impact local and global communities. I congratulate and thank Wayne 
State University's student body, Board of Governors, President M. Roy 
Wilson, faculty and administrators for living out the passion and 
principle of their mission statement. Reaching their 150th anniversary 
is a milestone, and I eagerly look forward to what the University 
accomplishes in its next 150 years.
  Wayne State University has been, is and will always be Warrior 
Strong.

                          ____________________