[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GLENN POSHARD

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to thank Dr. Glenn Poshard for his 
years of public service to Illinois.
  Today, Dr. Poshard will be stepping down as president of Southern 
Illinois University, a position he has held with honor and distinction 
for more than 7 years. Under his leadership, Southern Illinois 
University has been able to keep tuition costs low and the university's 
finances sound, despite financial problems that have plagued the State.
  Dr. Poshard has dedicated his life to working for the people of 
southern Illinois. In 1984, he was appointed to the Illinois State 
Senate until the people of the 22nd Congressional District sent him to 
the United States House of Representatives in 1989. I was fortunate to 
serve with Dr. Poshard for 8 years in the House of Representatives, 
where he was a strong proponent of campaign finance reform. Due to his 
commitment to reform, he limited individual donations to his 
gubernatorial campaign in 1998 and refused to accept contributions from 
political action committees.
  Following his tenure in Congress, Dr. Poshard and his wife, Jo, 
founded the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children. For the last 14 
years, the Poshard Foundation has worked to help abused, abandoned, and 
neglected children in southern Illinois.
  After a 40-year affiliation with Southern Illinois University, Dr. 
Poshard is leaving his alma mater in good shape. He retires as the 
second longest-serving president in the history of the Southern 
Illinois University system, an experience he calls ``the greatest honor 
of my life.''
  I congratulate Glenn on his outstanding career and thank him for his 
dedicated service to the people of Illinois. I wish him and his family 
all the best.

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