[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4728-4729]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PAINE COLLEGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take time to offer praise to 
one of Augusta, Georgia's most prized and valuable educational 
institutions. A recent guest of Travis Smiley's C-SPAN program ventured 
that Paine College was among several Historically Black Colleges in 
serious trouble financially and was in danger of dissolving. This could 
not be farther from the truth for Paine, which has experienced the 
largest growth in its 70 years of accredited education, with an average 
enrollment of 850 young men and women for the past 5 years.
  As a college professor, I know the challenges that today's 
institutions of higher education face. The rising cost of education and 
the ever-growing competition between schools to recruit and retain 
students are difficult to manage, but among these and other trials 
Paine College has not only held its ground but has grown and it has 
prospered.
  Paine students hail not just from Georgia but from all corners of our 
great Nation and from foreign lands, including Zambia and Cameroon. 
Gate Millennium Scholars, recognized for their achievements in high 
school, are given the chance to attend the college of their choice with 
full funding. This year, two of these students chose to continue their 
education in Augusta and build a foundation of a successful life with a 
degree from Paine College.
  Like many colleges and universities throughout the country, many of 
Paine's students qualify for Federal scholarships and grants. 
Additionally, 227 students are currently studying at Paine with the 
assistance of the Georgia HOPE Scholarship, for which they have to 
maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average.
  With so many choices among institutions of higher education, students 
will go where they can find the best educational value. Paine College 
has experienced its recent growth by recognizing that fact and 
providing a low-cost education that produces excellent results. 
Graduates of Paine College often move across town to attend the Medical 
College of Georgia or to study at other prestigious graduate programs 
across the country, such as Penn State University, the Claremont School 
of Theology, or the University of Maryland.
  Those of us who have served as teachers know that it is not only the 
job of a school to help shape and educate the mind but to develop a 
member of a community who will offer something in return to his 
neighbors. Paine's students can be seen volunteering to give back to 
the Augusta community every day. The Boys' and Girls' Clubs, Shiloh 
Senior Community Center, and the area public schools have all benefited 
from the generosity of Paine College students and alumni who give their 
time to volunteer in areas where they can have a positive impact on the 
lives of Augusta's youth.

[[Page 4729]]

  Academically, Paine College provides an outstanding curriculum run by 
a top-notch faculty. Business, education, natural sciences, 
mathematics, social sciences and humanities programs all offer programs 
of study to prepare students to not only compete but to excel in their 
chosen fields. To appreciate the quality of a Paine College education, 
all you have to do is see a short list of the achievements of Paine's 
alumni. Frank Yerby has published 32 novels. Charles Goode Gommillion 
argued and won a United States Supreme Court case. Mack Gibson was the 
first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the University of 
Chicago and works for NASA.
  Paine College has served as a great resource for the development of 
great minds and members of the community both for Augusta and for our 
country and the world as a whole. I can see nothing but more growth and 
continued great achievements for Paine in the future, and I am proud to 
represent its students and faculty in the House of Representatives. 
Students seeking a quality-centered education can be confident in 
choosing Paine College and being a proud part of America's future.

                          ____________________