[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8157-8158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO REVEREND DENNIS H. HOLTSCHNEIDER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to 
thank Reverend Dennis H. Holtscheider for all he has done to bring 
educational excellence to our State.
  After nearly 13 years as president of DePaul University, the largest 
Catholic university in the country, Father Holtschneider will be 
retiring later this summer. He originally planned on stepping down in 
2019 at the end of his contract, but always putting DePaul first, he 
decided that wouldn't fit with the university's planning cycle. After 
leading the university through two successful strategic plans, he said, 
``It's best for DePaul if I step aside in the summer of 2017 so that a 
new leader can assist the institution to name and ambitiously pursue 
its next set of strategic objectives.'' What a class act. It is no 
surprise, for more than a decade, Reverend Holtschneider has put DePaul 
University first.
  During Father Holtschneider's tenure, U.S. News and World Report 
recognized DePaul University as among the country's ``Most Innovative 
Universities.'' While many colleges and universities shift their 
missions over the

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years, Reverend Holtschneider has always remained committed to DePaul 
University's founding principles--a devotion to first generation 
students. He has raised about $460 million in philanthropic support for 
this noble cause, including $333 million for the ``Many Dreams, One 
Mission'' campaign to ensure access to high quality education for 
future generations of DePaul students.
  Born in Detroit, Father Holtschneider graduated from Niagara 
University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, studied for the 
priesthood at Mary Immaculate Seminary, and also received a doctorate 
in higher education administration from Harvard University. Prior to 
joining DePaul University, Father Holtscheider served as executive vice 
president and chief operating officer of his alma mater, Niagara 
University. He also was the director and rector of Vincentian College 
Seminary and has been a faculty member in the Harvard Graduate School 
of Education. Since 2014, Father Holtschneider has chaired the board of 
Ascension, the Nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system, 
but will be stepping down to become executive vice president and chief 
operating officer later this summer.
  Father Holtschneider has been the recipient of numerous awards, 
including the ACE Council of Fellows Mentor Award for his work 
preparing the next generation of academic leaders in higher education. 
He has been listed on the Diversity MBA Magazine's Top 100 and Under 50 
Diverse Executive Leaders. I especially want to thank Father 
Holtschneider for his leadership on comprehensive immigration reform, 
which was honored by the Archdiocese of Chicago with its ``Strangers No 
Longer Award.''
  I congratulate Reverend Holtschneider on his many accomplishments 
throughout his long and distinguished career. I thank him for always 
being a trustworthy counselor and personal friend. I thank him for his 
service and wish him all the best as he begins the next chapter in his 
life. Those of us who have worked with him over the years know he will 
bring that same sense of professionalism and dedication to the field of 
healthcare at Ascension.
  Thank you.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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