[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6414-6415]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING BROTHER RONALD GALLAGHER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2013

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, it is with great 
pleasure that I rise today to recognize Brother Ronald Gallagher, 
Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (F.S.C.), Ph.D., as he prepares to 
retire as President of St. Mary's College of California in Moraga and 
to commend him for his outstanding service to the St. Mary's students, 
faculty and to our community as a whole.
  A Native Californian, Brother Ronald Gallagher spent his formative 
years in Santa Cruz and Bakersfield, and then joined the Christian 
Brothers after graduating from Mont La Salle High School in Napa. After 
graduating from Saint Mary's College in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in 
English, Brother Ronald received a Master of Arts in comparative 
literature from San Francisco State University and earned his doctorate 
in comparative literature from the University of Washington.
  Prior to assuming the college presidency, Brother Ronald was a member 
of the English Department. His teaching specialties include 19th and 
20th Century Anglo-Irish Literature, the modern novel, and the history 
and culture of Ireland. His passion for Irish literature began when he 
read James Joyce's ``Ulysses'' during his senior year at Saint Mary's. 
In recent years, he has led several groups of students on tours of the 
historical and cultural sites of Ireland.
  From 1993 to 1997, Brother Ronald was Vice Chancellor of Bethlehem 
University, where he oversaw administration, development, finance and 
academics. As the leader of a Catholic university in the deeply divided 
Middle East, he responded to formidable challenges by forging strong 
regional and global support for the school. Enlisting the help of many 
countries, individuals, groups, international aid agencies and the 
Vatican, Brother Ronald was able to raise the funds necessary for 
Bethlehem University to fulfill its educational mission among the 
economically disadvantaged Palestinian community.
  In his role as Secretary General of the Brothers of the Christian 
Schools in Rome from 1997 to 2001, Brother Ronald organized the 43rd 
General Chapter, an international assembly that produced a seven-year 
global strategic plan for Lasallian educators.
  Brother Ronald Gallagher, F.S.C., Ph.D., became the 28th President of 
Saint Mary's College of California on Jan. 2, 2005. A seasoned 
educator, he is deeply devoted to the College's Catholic, Lasallian and 
liberal arts traditions and is committed to promoting the values of 
those traditions among students, faculty, staff and friends of Saint 
Mary's.
  In addition to leading St. Mary's College, Brother Ronald has served 
as President of the International Association of Lasallian 
Universities, as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association 
of Independent Catholic Colleges and Universities (AICCU), a member of 
the Board of Directors for the Association of Catholic Colleges and 
Universities (ACCU), on the Executive Board of Directors of the 
International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), and he is the 
Chair of the West Coast Conference (WCC) President's Council. 
Throughout his career, Brother Ronald has also been a strong supporter 
of intercollegiate and recreational athletics at Saint Mary's College.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite this chamber to join me in recognizing Brother 
Ronald for his devoted service to Saint Mary's College of California 
and thank him for his unparalleled contribution to higher education. I 
am pleased to join Brother Ronald's family, friends, and colleagues in 
congratulating him on his outstanding accomplishments during his long 
and highly successful career. I wish him a healthy

[[Page 6415]]

and happy retirement and the very best in all his future endeavors.

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