[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12] [Senate] [Pages 16252-16253] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]CONGRATULATING SPELMAN COLLEGE ON ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 541 which was submitted earlier today. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the resolution by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A resolution (S. Res. 541) congratulating Spelman College upon its 125th anniversary. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution. Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The resolution (S. Res. 541) was agreed to. The preamble was agreed to. The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows: S. Res. 541 Whereas, in 1881, Spelman College was established by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, school teachers and Baptist missionaries, in Atlanta, Georgia, for the purpose of educating African-American women and girls; Whereas as a result of the benevolence of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and Laura Spelman Rockefeller, the name of the institution was changed from ``Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary'' to ``Spelman Seminary'' in honor of the Spelman family; Whereas the curriculum expanded to include high school and college classes, and the seminary conferred its first high school diplomas in 1887, and its first college degrees in 1901; Whereas in 1924, Spelman Seminary officially became Spelman College and grew to become a leading undergraduate institution for African-American women; Whereas Spelman College was ranked among the top 75 Best Liberal Arts Colleges according to U.S. News & World Report, 2005 edition; Whereas the Association of Medical Colleges ranks Spelman College fifth among undergraduate programs for African- American students accepted to medical school, and Spelman is 1 of 6 institutions designated by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a Model Institution for Excellence in undergraduate science and math education; Whereas Spelman's ninth President, Beverly Daniel Tatum, has initiated a strategic plan for Spelman (``Spelman ALIVE'') that includes 5 goals: Academic excellence, Leadership development, Improving the infrastructure, Visibility of accomplishments of the campus community, and Exemplary customer service, all designed to create a vision for Spelman of ``Nothing Less Than the Best''; and Whereas Spelman College has prepared more than 6 generations of African American women to reach the highest levels of academic, community, and professional achievement: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) congratulates Spelman College on 125th anniversary; and (2) commends the President of Spelman College, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, and the administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumnae of the College for their outstanding achievements and contribution to African American education, history, and culture. Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today and be joined by my fellow Senator from Georgia, Senator Chambliss, in recognition of the 125th anniversary of Spelman College. Spelman College is a historically Black college in the State of Georgia and a part of the Atlanta University complex which is the largest consortium of historically Black universities and colleges in the United States of America. The resolution congratulates the student body, the faculty, the founders, and in particular Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, and the administration, the faculty, and staff of Spelman College. Spelman College was founded in Atlanta, GA, 1881 by Baptist missionaries and teachers Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles for the purpose of educating African-American women and girls. Due to the benevolence of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--Senator Rockefeller's great-grandfather--and Laura Spelman Rockefeller, the name of the institution was changed from Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary to Spelman Seminary in honor of the Spelman family. A Rockefeller has since sat on the Spelman College Board of Trustees, including Senator Rockefeller's daughter, Valerie Rockefeller Wayne, who currently sits on the Board of Trustees. Spelman later expanded its curriculum to include high school and college classes, and conferred its first high school degree in 1887, and its first college degree in 1901. In 1924 Spelman Seminary became Spelman College and grew to become a leading undergraduate institution for African-American women. Spelman is ranked among the top 75 best liberal arts college according to U.S. News and World Report, 2005 edition. The Association of Medical Colleges ranks Spelman fifth among undergraduate programs for African-American students accepted to medical school; and not surprisingly Spelman is one of six institutions designated by the National Science Foundation and NASA as a Model Institution for Excellence in undergraduate science and math. The resolution also commends Dr. Tatum for her excellent work and vision of the future for the college. It further calls attention to her initiation of a strategic plan for Spelman called ``Spelman ALIVE'' that includes five goals designated to create a vision of Spelman of academic, community, and professional achievement: academic excellence, leadership development, improving the infrastructure, visibility of [[Page 16253]] accomplishments of the campus community, and exemplary customer service. It is both an honor and privilege for me today on behalf of the State of Georgia and I think the Senate to unanimously commend Spelman College on its achievement of 125 continuous years of service to African-American women in the United States. I yield the floor. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Georgia. Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my friend and colleague, Senator Isakson from Georgia, to congratulate Spelman College, the country's oldest historically Black college for women on its 125th anniversary. Spelman College was established in 1881 by two school teachers and Baptist missionaries, Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, for the purpose of educating African-American women and girls. Located in Atlanta, GA, and started in the basement of the Friendship Baptist Church, the college has come a long way from its beginnings, growing into a 32-acre campus. Spelman is also a member of the largest group of historically black institutions in the world including Morehouse University, the Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark Atlanta University, and the Interdenominational Theological Center. Spelman has a very diverse student population with 2,100 students from 41 States and 15 foreign countries. In 2005, Spelman ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report. Eighty-four percent of the faculty at Spelman hold a Ph.D. or higher, and the student teacher ratio is 11 to 1, making Spelman a top choice for African-American women to obtain an undergraduate degree. Many of their students seek advance degrees. In 2000, Spelman ranked second in the country in placing African-American students in medical schools. The Federal Government has seen the promise that the students and faculty at Spelman possess and, in 2003, the National Institutes of Health National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities awarded the college a $4.2 million grant for research to help eliminate health disparities among minority groups. Spelman was one of only six institutions to receive this funding. Also in 2003, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Awarded the college with a $4.5 million grant to enhance its Women in Science and Engineering, WISE, scholars program. Spelman College also realizes the need to give back to the African- American community. With the help of Federal funding, the school created the Spelman College Health and Wellness Initiative. This program is helping to gain a better understanding of the many factors that impact the health of young African-American women. The Health and Wellness Initiative is also helping to create preventive strategies for the unique circumstances that apply to all African-American women. These strategies are currently being developed and used to prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS in African- American women. In 2005, six Spelman women qualified for the International RoboCup 2005 Four-Legged Robot soccer competition in Osaka, Japan. The students created computer programs for the robots to compete in the soccer tournament, requiring the robots play without human intervention. Of the 24 teams that qualified internationally, the SpelBots, as the team is called, were the first and only Historically Black College and University, the only all women institution, and the only United States undergraduate institution to qualify for the tournament. When looking back years from now at historically Black colleges and robotics research, all searches will lead to Spelman. Spelman graduates have gone on to be professionals such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers, and chemists. I want to congratulate Spelman College on their success and developing thousands of young women into strong business and community leaders over the past 125 years. I would also like to recognize the president of Spelman College, my friend, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, and the administration, faculty, staff, students and alumnae of the college for their leadership, outstanding achievements, and contributions that have made Spelman such a fine institution and a great citizen of our State. It is my most sincere hope that Spelman will continue to thrive and prosper for many years to come. Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I rise with my colleagues from Georgia, Mr. Isakson and Mr. Chambliss, to congratulate Spelman College on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. Spelman College, then known as ``Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary,'' was established in 1881 in Atlanta, GA, by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles, schoolteachers and Baptist missionaries, who created the school for the purpose of educating African-American women and girls. The institution kindly thanked my great-grandparents John D. Rockefeller, Sr. and Laura Spelman Rockefeller after their donation to the school by changing the school's name to ``Spelman Seminary'' in honor of the Spelman family in 1924. I am enormously proud that my family has been associated with this school for the last 80-plus years and of the achievements by the school and especially its alumnae. Today, my daughter, Valerie Rockefeller Wayne, serves on the board of trustees and she continues our family's proud connection to this important institution. The school grew to include high school and college classes and bestowed its first high school diplomas in 1887 and its first college degrees in 1901. The school expanded to become a leading undergraduate institution for African- American women. In the 2005 edition of U.S. News and World Report, Spelman College was ranked among the top 75 best liberal arts colleges. The Association of Medical Colleges ranks Spelman College fifth among undergraduate programs for Black students accepted to medical school and Spelman is one of six institutions designated by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a Model Institution for Excellence in undergraduate science and math education. We commend Spelman's ninth president, Beverly Daniel Tatum, who has initiated a strategic plan for Spelman titled ``Spelman ALIVE'' that includes five goals: academic excellence, leadership development, improving the infrastructure, visibility of accomplishments of the campus community, and exemplary customer service, all designed to create a vision for Spelman of ``Nothing Less than the Best.'' For 125 years, Spelman has been at the forefront of education in our Nation, and with this plan I am confident it will continue to grow and thrive. Spelman College has prepared more than six generations of African- American women to reach the highest levels of academic, community, and professional achievement. My cosponsors Mr. Isakson and Mr. Chambliss and I also thank the administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumnae of the college for their outstanding achievements and contribution to African-American education, history, and culture. ____________________