[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 214 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S8917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RANA ALTENBURG

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Rana Altenburg as 
she retires from Marquette University. Rana has served as the leader of 
Marquette's government affairs and community engagement initiatives 
since 1996. Her retirement marks the conclusion of an exceptional 
career spanning nearly three decades of service to Marquette University 
and the greater Milwaukee community.
  Rana's time at Marquette began as a student, where she earned her 
bachelor's degree in political science and Spanish. Later, Rana 
received her MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of 
Management.
  Over her 30-year career at Marquette, Rana's advocacy efforts 
contributed to increased investment by both the Federal and State 
governments, resulting in major infrastructure projects near campus, 
such as the Wisconsin Avenue median, Wells Street median, Marquette 
Interchange, 27th Street Corridor and the Menomonee Valley. Later, Rana 
and her team helped secure Federal and State funding that supported 
capital projects and research efforts, including working with me to 
secure congressionally directed spending for an expansion of the school 
of dentistry, a simulation lab in the college of nursing, and catalytic 
development in the Near West Side of Milwaukee.
  Rana championed the university's Les Aspin Center in Washington, DC, 
providing students interested in public service opportunities for 
internship and professional development in our Nation's Capital. The 
Les Aspin Center has offered incredible opportunities to many young 
people still working in public service, including on my staff. On 
campus, she was a mentor to student leaders.
  A tireless advocate for Marquette, Rana takes immense pride in not 
only being an alumna; she is also a parent, donor and season-ticket 
holder to Marquette's nationally ranked basketball programs.
  Outside of her work at Marquette, Rana serves as founding president 
of Near West Side Partners, which she helped launch in 2015. Near West 
Side Partners brings together schools, businesses of all sizes, 
nonprofits, and neighbors to strengthen and improve the community they 
live in. She is also a member of the boards of directors of the James 
W. Foley Legacy Foundation and the National Association of Independent 
Colleges and Universities.
  I am pleased to congratulate Rana Altenburg on a distinguished career 
and wish her, her husband Jeff, her daughters Sophia and Hannah, son-
in-law Jack, and her granddaughter Honor much happiness and well-
deserved time together in the years ahead. We will continue to look to 
her for her thoughtful servant leadership and wise counsel, and I know 
that her impact will continue to be felt within the Marquette and 
greater Milwaukee community for generations to come.

                          ____________________