[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 15, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               100TH ANNIVERSARY OF KETTERING UNIVERSITY

 Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to pay special 
tribute to Kettering University in Flint, which this year is 
celebrating 100 years of educating the people of Michigan and advancing 
innovation.
  Let's think back to 1919. The Treaty of Versailles was signed, 
bringing an end to the Great War. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. 
Constitution--also known as Prohibition--was ratified by Congress. In 
our State, the Michigan State Highway Department took over the State 
trunk line highway system and first began putting up numbered signs. 
And in Flint--the center of the automotive world--a group of 
entrepreneurs launched a school to train homegrown talent for 
Michigan's auto industry.
  A few things have changed since 1919. We fought an even greater war, 
Prohibition didn't last, and Michigan has a few more highways. Yet one 
thing remains the same: Kettering University is still training the next 
generation of leaders, for the auto industry and beyond.
  Louis Chevrolet, David Dunbar Buick, Charles Stewart Mott, Alfred 
Sloan, and Charles Kettering understood that to succeed in 
manufacturing, it isn't enough for students to know what is in the 
books; instead, these leaders built a school based on the idea that 
knowledge must be both learned and applied. This model is still in use 
at Kettering University today. Kettering's curriculum doesn't just 
expose its students to the very latest in science, engineering, and 
business knowledge; it also helps its students to put that knowledge to 
work through experiential and cooperative educational opportunities 
that turn learners into leaders.
  Your record of success speaks for itself. From being named first in 
the country by the Wall Street Journal for career preparation, fourth 
in the Nation in producing alumni who hold patents, and first in the 
Midwest for return on investments; to the Kettering University GM 
Mobility Research Center, which is keeping Flint and Michigan at the 
forefront of autonomous vehicle research and development; to counting 
among your alumni General Motors CEO Mary T. Barra, former chairman and 
CEO of Gibson Brands Henry Juszkiewicz, inventor and businessman Dean 
Kamen, former CEO of Merrill Lynch Stanley O'Neal, and Old Navy CEO 
Sonia Syngal; to making a real difference in the Flint community 
through your $1 million Department of Justice grant for neighborhood 
revitalization, your Employee Home Purchase and Renovation Assistance 
Program, the transformation of University Avenue, and your support for 
Flint's young people through your Young Innovators Fair, the Flint 
River Watershed Coalition Green Summit, and FIRST Robotics.
  Charles Kettering once said this: ``We are not at the end of our 
progress but at the beginning.'' And I have no doubt that our progress 
as a State and Nation will continue to be led by Kettering's students, 
faculty, staff, and alumni.
  Since 1919, Kettering University has been preparing students for 
extraordinary futures, and I can't wait to see what your future holds. 
Congratulations to Kettering University on your first 100 
years.

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