[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 194 (Wednesday, December 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING CLIF SMART OF MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2022

  Mr. LONG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Clif Smart, the 
president of Missouri State University.
  Clifton ``Clif'' M. Smart III has served as the 11th President of 
Missouri State University since June 27, 2011.
  Under Smart's leadership, the university has: set new records in 
numbers of graduates, graduate employment rates, and overall 
enrollment; enhanced diversity of faculty, staff, and students; 
maintained affordability for students; significantly upgraded campus 
facilities; developed new bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree 
programs; achieved a Silver STARS rating from the Association for the 
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; and set records in 
state appropriations, private gifts, and grant funding.
  On top of his work at Missouri State, Smart has served as the 
President of the Council on Public Higher Education in Missouri, the 
NCAA Division I Board of Directors, the Mercy Health Springfield 
Communities Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for the Hawthorn 
Foundation, and the Board of Directors for Missouri Partnership. He has 
also served on boards and committees for the Missouri Department of 
Higher Education, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, CoxHealth, Arc 
of the Ozarks, Springfield Innovations, Inc., Isabel's House, First 
Baptist Church, and numerous other professional and community 
organizations.
  Smart has lived in Springfield, Missouri for more than two decades. 
Before his presidency, Smart served as the university's general 
counsel. Before coming to Missouri State University, Smart had a 
private legal practice in Springfield.
  Smart and his wife, Gail, have two sons, Murray, who along with his 
wife, Amy, both graduated in 2012 from Southwest Baptist University and 
live in Rogers, Arkansas with their daughters Addy, Emery and Miriam 
and sons Parker and Leeland; and Jim, who recently graduated from Lewis 
and Clark Law School.
  Madam Speaker, since being named Missouri State University's 
President in 2011, Clif Smart has dedicated himself not only to the 
university, but also to the Springfield community. I wish him all the 
best in his continued efforts.

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