[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                  TRIBUTE TO DR. LAURENCE B. ALEXANDER

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Laurence B. Alexander for his exceptional and transformative leadership 
as his tenure as the ninth chancellor of the University of Arkansas at 
Pine Bluff comes to a close.
  Dr. Alexander set ambitious goals for UAPB when he arrived on campus, 
and as a result of his steadfast and unwavering pursuit of excellence, 
the school has met or exceeded many of those aspirations. Over the past 
11 years with Dr. Alexander at the helm, UAPB experienced its largest 
increase in graduation rates in over a decade. From 2016 to today, 
UAPB's 6-year graduation rate has increased from 23 percent to 40 
percent, an increase of almost 75 percent. UAPB also experienced its 
highest retention rates in the school's history at 77 percent. Under 
his leadership, UAPB achieved recognition as a Top-25 public 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S. News and World 
Report and rose to the 15th ranked institution in the Washington 
Monthly ranking of Bachelor's Colleges. Dr. Alexander's hand in that 
success has been very clear to the surrounding community. He was 
recognized in 2017 by the Arkansas Business Journal Influencer in 
Education, featured as one of the Arkansas Business 200 Most 
Influential Leaders by Arkansas Business Publishing Group in 2018, and 
recognized nationally as one of the HBCU Campaign Fund's 10 Most 
Dominant HBCU Leaders in 2019.
  His strategic vision has brought millions in additional grant funding 
and research dollars to the university and attracted world-class 
scientists and researchers, paving the way for UAPB to be recognized as 
a national leader in nanotechnology, biomedicine, agriculture, 
aquaculture, biotechnology, nutrition, water, and farm management.
  As an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, UAPB has continued to fulfill its 
mission to promote education in agriculture, Arkansas' largest 
industry. With the average age of today's farmer being over 57 years 
old, it is schools like UAPB, with leaders like Dr. Alexander, that are 
helping develop the next generation of agriculturalists who will make 
critical advancements to meet the needs of today's producers.
  Along with advancing UAPB's high-quality teaching and nursing 
programs and promoting the stellar Reserve Officers Training Corps 
program, Dr. Alexander has been instrumental in establishing new 
agricultural engineering, hospitality management, and master of 
business administration programs. UAPB is empowering students with real 
skills they can use to serve their communities and address some of 
Arkansas' greatest needs.
  Dr. Alexander's impact reaches well beyond the city of Pine Bluff, 
Jefferson County, and even Arkansas State lines. He became the first 
leader of an 1890 Land-Grant Institution to be appointed to serve as 
chair of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, 
which advises the U.S. Agency for International Development on how to 
leverage the expertise and assets of American universities to support 
food security and development efforts abroad.
  I congratulate Dr. Alexander on his exceptional and impactful tenure 
at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and thank him for all he 
has done.
  While Dr. Alexander's time in the Natural State has come to close, he 
has certainly left it better than he found it. Thanks to his efforts, 
UAPB has plenty to look forward to on the horizon. For that, all 
Arkansans are grateful.
  I wish him the very best as he moves on to his next endeavor and hope 
he knows he will always have a home in Arkansas.

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