[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1794-1795]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF McKENDREE COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 27, 2003

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the 175th Anniversary of McKendree College in 
Lebanon, Illinois.
  McKendree College is the oldest college in Illinois. Founded by 
Methodist pioneers on February 20, 1828, McKendree College will mark 
her 175th anniversary on February 20, 2003.

[[Page 1795]]

  In recent years, McKendree has experienced remarkable growth in both 
quality and quantity. In academics, The Carnegie Foundation for the 
Advancement of Teaching has selected a McKendree College professor as 
the Illinois Professor of the Year for 2002, Dr. Nancy Beck Young. The 
college has welcomed its first group of students from France as part of 
a new exchange program in the Business Division. In addition, the 
college faculty has grown 65 percent and includes professors well-
published and recognized in their fields of expertise. McKendree has a 
nationally ranked Debate and Forensics Squad and boasts an outstanding 
teacher education program, one that has recently received re-
certification, and the only one among six institutions, to receive the 
certification fully and without provisions.
  McKendree's student body has also excelled in its 175 years of 
history. With approximately 1,300 students currently enrolled at the 
Lebanon campus, the student body has grown 67 percent in the past 10 
years and the residential population has increased more than 300 
percent. The current freshman class is the third largest in the history 
of the college, includes 22 valedictorians and has an impressive 3.7 
GPA and 24 ACT. Currently, students from 15 different states and five 
countries are enrolled at McKendree College.
  McKendree also has an athletic program that is gaining in national 
prominence. This year the men's basketball team has been ranked #1 
nationally in the NAIA, the first time in the history of the college 
that an athletic team has earned a first place ranking. The college 
football team, now in its seventh season since its return in 1996 after 
a 45-year hiatus, played in the NAIA semi-finals, with an 11-2 record. 
McKendree's athletic director and men's basketball coach has been 
inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, earning recognition as Coach of 
the Year and this year broke the record to become the winningest coach 
in NAIA history. In Track and Field McKendree athletes have won several 
national team championships.
  McKendree College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college and 
is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Top Tier Midwest Liberal 
Arts College. For the sixth consecutive year, McKendree has been 
recognized as one of America's 100 Best College Buys. McKendree College 
has been referred to as ``the fastest growing business in Southwestern 
Illinois''. Dr. James M. Dennis is the 32nd president of McKendree 
College, inaugurated in 1994.
  McKendree College, founded in 1828, has the distinction of being one 
of the first colleges established in Illinois. Acknowledging pride of 
her Scottish heritage McKendree was also approved as the first 
institutional member of the Clan Henderson Society of the United States 
in 1997.
  Each year, students from McKendree College contribute to businesses, 
schools, and non-profit organizations in the region as interns, 
teachers and employees. The college has participated significantly in 
regional programs to enhance diversity education and to help prepare 
students from lower income areas for college. The college provides a 
wealth of cultural events to the community, hosting distinguished 
speakers, exceptional performers, and nationally ranked competitive 
athletic contests. They partner with many community groups and assume a 
leadership role to promote and enhance the benefits of the region.
  McKendree College provides a high quality academic program, at the 
heart of which is a values-centered liberal arts education. The mission 
of McKendree College is to include students in the joys and challenges 
of intellectual inquiry and its staff and faculty are devoted to 
nurturing this experience both inside and outside the classroom. The 
college has grown significantly in the past seven years and has brought 
esteem and recognition to our greater community. They enjoy the 
reputation of a high quality academic institution, with competitive 
athletic programs, and the diversity of social and co-curricular 
programs that meet and challenge a wide range of interests.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 175th 
Anniversary of McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois and to recognize 
its alumni both past, present and future for their contributions to the 
success of the University.

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