[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE INVESTITURE OF DR. LILY D. McNAIR, 8TH PRESIDENT OF 
                          TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 2019

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
Inaugural Convocation and Investiture of Dr. Lily D. McNair as the 8th 
President of Tuskegee University and the first woman to ever serve as 
President in the University's storied 136-year history. Prior to her 
appointment at Tuskegee, Dr. McNair served for nearly seven years as 
provost and senior vice academic for affairs at Wagner College--a 
private college of 2,200 students located in Staten Island, New York.
  Dr. McNair grew up in Browns Mills, New Jersey and is the eldest of 
four children. She is the daughter of a Japanese seamstress and an 
African American veteran who worked as a payroll clerk after serving in 
the Korean War.
  Unlike many of her friends at other schools, Dr. McNair was lucky to 
have a high school guidance counselor who encouraged her, an aspiring 
first-generation college student with scarce financial resources, to 
apply to the Ivy League university she had dreamed of attending since 
she was a little girl. Because of her own experience, Dr. McNair 
believes in the value of mentorship and has placed a special emphasis 
on working with students and faculty to advance their goals.
  Dr. McNair was the first in her family to attend college, and among 
the first African American women to attend Princeton University just 
six years after the university began admitting women. Dr. McNair earned 
her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1979, and master and doctorate 
degrees in psychology from the State University of New York at Stony 
Brook.
  Dr. McNair served as associate professor of psychology and associate 
director of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program at The 
University of Georgia, where in 1999 she was the first African American 
woman to obtain tenure and promotion in the psychology department. Dr. 
McNair's career in higher education also includes other appointments at 
the State University of New York at New Paltz, Vassar College and 
Spelman College. At Spelman, Dr. McNair was responsible for cultivating 
the institution's research capabilities, worked to strengthen faculty 
involvement in research and improve the efficiency of research 
resources.
  Dr. McNair's upbringing in a working-class family and her public 
school background deeply influenced her philosophy on higher education, 
as she has sought to elevate and open doors of opportunity for 
minorities in academia. While at the University of Georgia, she was 
actively involved in increasing the numbers of African American 
psychology graduate students. Likewise, as the Provost and Vice 
President for Academic Affairs at Wagner College, Dr. McNair helped 
increase the diversity of hired faculty by over 115 percent.
  A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. McNair's research has 
focused on the development and evaluation of community-based 
interventions that target substance abuse and early sexual behavior in 
African American youth. Preliminary findings of her longitudinal 
studies demonstrate the significant impact of positive parenting 
practices on children's outcomes across a variety of domains.
  In addition to her numerous academic accomplishments, Dr. McNair is a 
dedicated mother to Randall and Marguerite Roberts, and wife of Dr. 
George W. Roberts, a retired senior administrator at the U.S. Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
  On a personal note, I am proud to know Dr. McNair as a fellow 
graduate of Princeton University. She is a devoted administrator, 
committed public servant, inspirational figure, tireless educator, 
loving wife and proud mother. I know Dr. McNair will be an exemplary 
president of this esteemed institution, bringing to the position a keen 
intellect, strong advocacy abilities, steadfast work ethic and deep 
faith in God and the power of Mother Tuskegee. I look forward to 
continuing to work with Dr. McNair in her new position to bring more 
resources and greater opportunities to Tuskegee University. I gladly 
wish her well in her new endeavors.
  On behalf of the 7th Congressional District and the State of Alabama, 
I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the inauguration of Dr. 
Lily D. McNair as the 8th President of Tuskegee University and as the 
first woman to ever hold the position. I am honored to pay tribute to 
Dr. McNair for her tireless service and for the stellar and positive 
leadership she will surely continue to provide for all those who are a 
part of the Tuskegee University family.

                          ____________________