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[Page S5789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF KETTERING UNIVERSITY
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to pay special
tribute to Kettering University in Flint, which this year is
celebrating 100 years of educating the people of Michigan and advancing
innovation.
Let's think back to 1919. The Treaty of Versailles was signed,
bringing an end to the Great War. The 18th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution--also known as Prohibition--was ratified by Congress. In
our State, the Michigan State Highway Department took over the State
trunk line highway system and first began putting up numbered signs.
And in Flint--the center of the automotive world--a group of
entrepreneurs launched a school to train homegrown talent for
Michigan's auto industry.
A few things have changed since 1919. We fought an even greater war,
Prohibition didn't last, and Michigan has a few more highways. Yet one
thing remains the same: Kettering University is still training the next
generation of leaders, for the auto industry and beyond.
Louis Chevrolet, David Dunbar Buick, Charles Stewart Mott, Alfred
Sloan, and Charles Kettering understood that to succeed in
manufacturing, it isn't enough for students to know what is in the
books; instead, these leaders built a school based on the idea that
knowledge must be both learned and applied. This model is still in use
at Kettering University today. Kettering's curriculum doesn't just
expose its students to the very latest in science, engineering, and
business knowledge; it also helps its students to put that knowledge to
work through experiential and cooperative educational opportunities
that turn learners into leaders.
Your record of success speaks for itself. From being named first in
the country by the Wall Street Journal for career preparation, fourth
in the Nation in producing alumni who hold patents, and first in the
Midwest for return on investments; to the Kettering University GM
Mobility Research Center, which is keeping Flint and Michigan at the
forefront of autonomous vehicle research and development; to counting
among your alumni General Motors CEO Mary T. Barra, former chairman and
CEO of Gibson Brands Henry Juszkiewicz, inventor and businessman Dean
Kamen, former CEO of Merrill Lynch Stanley O'Neal, and Old Navy CEO
Sonia Syngal; to making a real difference in the Flint community
through your $1 million Department of Justice grant for neighborhood
revitalization, your Employee Home Purchase and Renovation Assistance
Program, the transformation of University Avenue, and your support for
Flint's young people through your Young Innovators Fair, the Flint
River Watershed Coalition Green Summit, and FIRST Robotics.
Charles Kettering once said this: ``We are not at the end of our
progress but at the beginning.'' And I have no doubt that our progress
as a State and Nation will continue to be led by Kettering's students,
faculty, staff, and alumni.
Since 1919, Kettering University has been preparing students for
extraordinary futures, and I can't wait to see what your future holds.
Congratulations to Kettering University on your first 100
years.
____________________
