[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 172 (Friday, October 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BRENDA L. LAWRENCE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 19, 2018

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues, 
Representatives Debbie Dingell, Paul Mitchell, Mike Bishop, Sander 
Levin, Daniel Kildee, Fred Upton, John Moolenaar, and Jack Bergman 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. 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. We 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 we 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.

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