[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7141-7142]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. PHILLIP O. BARRY

 Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I, with my colleague 
Senator Bingaman, wish to recognize Dr. Phillip O. Barry on the 
occasion of his retirement from a distinguished career serving higher 
education institutions in our home state of New Mexico and elsewhere.

[[Page 7142]]

  A former Fulbright scholar, Dr. Barry has spent the past 36 years 
working in community colleges to improve learning opportunities for New 
Mexicans, Iowans, and New Jerseyans. Access to quality higher education 
makes all the difference for our children and our economy. In order to 
secure the future of the Nation, we must provide the best education 
possible. Innovative administrators like Dr. Barry play a vital role in 
achieving this important goal. As a community college president, Dr. 
Barry devoted 24 years to leading these institutions into the 21st 
century and helping them expand to meet the needs of more students and 
an evolving economy.
  In his 15 years at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, NM, Dr. 
Barry transformed Mesalands from a technical school into a community 
college, including leading the college through a rigorous accreditation 
process. He established the college's foundation in order to ensure the 
financial security of the school for the future. Through Dr. Barry's 
leadership and foresight, Mesalands Community College created such 
innovations as its Dinosaur Museum, the North American Wind Research 
and Training Center, and an intercollegiate rodeo program.
  Dr. Barry's vision for and guidance of Mesalands Community College 
has been instrumental to the continued development and success of the 
college. Senator Bingaman and I thank Dr. Barry for his commitment to 
higher education in New Mexico and to the community college students of 
today and tomorrow. Thanks to Dr. Barry and institutions like those he 
led, a growing number of Americans are able to continue their 
educations, achieve secondary degrees, and help ensure our country's 
future competitiveness in an increasingly global economy.
  We wish Dr. Barry continued success, and for a most happy 
retirement.

                          ____________________