[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING DR. ED RENWICK

 Mr. VITTER. Madam President, today I stand in recognition of 
Dr. Ed Renwick, who served as director of the Loyola University 
Institute of Politics for more than 30 years, until his recent 
retirement on June 1, 2008. I would like to take some time to make a 
few remarks on his accomplishments as director and recognize his 
contributions to the Louisiana community.
  As the director of this unique educational program, he served as a 
mentor to many future politicians and political experts. His keen 
ability to explain the nuances of Louisiana politics made him 
particularly extraordinary and provided his many students with a unique 
insight into our State's storied history. His teaching methods were 
groundbreaking as they focused on the empirical ends of Government 
rather than their theoretical origins. In particular, Dr. Renwick 
focused on the way in which political theory works in practice, how it 
actually affects the daily decisions of elected officials and political 
candidates.
  In addition to his service as director, he also served as a respected 
member of the political science faculty, which he will continue to 
serve following his retirement. As both an administrator and an 
educator, Dr. Renwick was well known for his insights that jumpstarted 
the political careers of many Louisianans. In choosing his fellows, he 
targeted individuals from diverse political, economic and social 
groups, in order to force bipartisan efforts to work through complex 
issues important to Louisiana. Thus, he taught them the importance of 
finding common ground rather than letting them crumble under their 
differences.
  I was fortunate enough to be a fellow under Renwick, and I can 
confidently say that I am still benefitting from the knowledge and 
experience I gained during the program. Dr. Renwick's innovative 
methods helped reveal the idiosyncrasies of Louisiana politics to his 
students.
  Thus, today, I am proud to honor a fellow Louisianan, Dr. Ed Renwick, 
for his distinguished service to the Loyola University community and 
the State of Louisiana.

                          ____________________