[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8228-8229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO DR. KEN GIBSON, PRESIDENT OF DONNELLY COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 27, 2007

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Dr. Ken Gibson, who recently announced his retirement, effective June 
30th, following nine very successful years as president of Donnelly 
College of Kansas City, Kansas.
  Donnelly College is an important part of the Kansas City, Kansas, 
community, and offers more than just an education to students. As Dr. 
Gibson reflected in a recent article in the Kansas City Kansan, 
``Donnelly College is essentially about hope. If you are not satisfied, 
you can change it and you can achieve what you are capable of. We have 
some really good students and I think we give them a great education.''
  The recipient of a master's degree from the University of Kentucky 
and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, Dr. Gibson began his 
career with Kentucky's Henderson Community College, where he later 
served as dean of instruction. Prior to returning to Henderson 
Community College, he was affiliated with John A. Logan College, of 
Illinois. In 1981, Dr. Gibson moved to Kansas, where he served as 
Hutchinson Community College's dean of instruction; he later took the 
same position at Johnson County Community College, located in my 
congressional district, where he worked until becoming president of 
Donnelly College in 1998.
  Under Dr. Gibson's leadership, Donnelly College reversed a 
significant drop in enrollment and received over $12 million in 
donations and grants, including awards from the U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development. Among the programs offered by Donnelly, 
the Henry W. Bloch Scholarship offers full tuition to students and is 
transferable to Rockhurst University or the University of Missouri-
Kansas City. Donnelly also participates in Kansas Bridges to the 
Future, a transferable scholarship to Kansas State University.
  Additionally, during Dr. Gibson's tenure, Donnelly College introduced 
a bachelor's degree program, began development of a licensed practical 
nurse joint program with Johnson County Community College, and 
implemented a college extension program at the Lansing Correctional 
Facility, establishing an opportunity for inmates to earn an 
associate's degree. As Dr. Gibson noted in the Kansas City Kansan, ``It 
makes a difference for inmates' lives. Of 66 students (involved with 
the program), only one has gone back to prison.''
  Madam Speaker, Dr. Ken Gibson has been a distinguished educational 
leader in the Kansas City community, which is a better place due to his 
enlightened leadership. He has been a trusted advisor to me on matters 
of

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education policy and other concerns involving the Third Congressional 
District of Kansas. I commend him for his successful tenure with 
Donnelly College and wish him and his family many happy returns upon 
his well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________