[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12710]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2003

  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to 
welcome the building of a new university and, in fact, a new town in 
the district I represent. Ave Maria University--Florida's newest 
university--will be an academic center of international scope founded 
on Catholic religious beliefs and committed to developing a Division I 
caliber athletics program. The university plans to grow to about 5,000 
undergraduate and graduate students and will have a full curriculum of 
traditional liberal arts, sciences and engineering programs, as well as 
a comprehensive graduate program offering master's and doctoral 
degrees.
  The campus will cover approximately 750 acres, including a world 
class golf course in eastern Collier County. The university, which has 
already begun construction on an interim campus, is seeded with 
approximately $200 million from Thomas S. Monaghan, Domino's Pizza 
founder and former owner of the Detroit Tigers, who is also chairman of 
the Ave Maria Foundation in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  The town that will house Ave Maria University will be developed 
through a joint partnership between the university and the Barron 
Collier Companies. This town will produce endless economic benefit for 
surrounding communities and will serve as a great home for Florida's 
newest university.
  Ave Maria University will bring academic excellence, athletic 
competition and strong Catholic principles to one of America's fastest 
growing communities. As America congratulates Florida on the creation 
of the nation's newest Catholic university, I welcome this wonderful 
addition to Southern Florida.
  This university will provide endless opportunities for students 
seeking a first-rate education within a Catholic university setting. 
Additionally, Ave Maria University will bring growth to the surrounding 
areas and a great potential to recruit superior faculty and staff.
  While Ave Maria University is one of my newest constituents, I speak 
on behalf of the 25th Congressional District, South Florida and the 
entire state in congratulating Ave Maria University and welcoming the 
university and its students to Collier County.

                          ____________________