August 27, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 139 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
TRIBUTE TO THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. GEORGE T. FRENCH, JR.; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 139
(Extensions of Remarks - August 27, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1080] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. GEORGE T. FRENCH, JR. ______ HON. TERRI A. SEWELL of alabama in the house of representatives Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. George T. French, Jr., the 14th President of Miles College, on his twenty-three years of exemplary service to Miles College and his recent appointment as President of Clark Atlanta University. Under the impressive leadership and oversight of Dr. French as President since 2005, Miles College has met unprecedented fundraising goals, has more than doubled its existing campus size through land acquisition and, most importantly, has continued to fight for and implement the values upon which it was founded--providing its students with quality, first- class higher education. A man of steadfast and unwavering faith, Dr. French's experience as a pastor in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has lent him strength and purpose as he has navigated his impressive career. Miles College was established over one hundred years ago in 1898 in Fairfield, Alabama. The college is a historically black college, whose mission has always been to provide top-tier higher education to the African American community and to educate the minds of future local, national and global leaders. Miles College has deep roots in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, whose guiding principles helped to shape the school's mission and curriculum. Miles College also played a major role in Birmingham's struggle for civil rights. When the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was scouting a city in which to test methods of peaceful protest, Birmingham was decided upon in large part because members of Miles College were already engaging in activism. A native of Louisville, KY, Dr. French joined Miles College with a strong educational background, having earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Louisville. He was then competitively accepted to the University of Richmond Law School before being recruited by Miles Colleges' former President Albert Sloan to join Miles College as the Director of Development. Dr. French completed his final year of law school at Miles Law School where he earned his Juris Doctor. He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Jackson State University in 2018. As Director of Institutional Planning and Development at Miles College, Dr. French oversaw the offices of Alumni Affairs, Federal Contracts and Grants, Title III, Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Congressional Relations and Public Relations. He was also primarily responsible for fundraising, a task he met handily. As part of the Capital Campaign Fund Drive, Dr. French raised twelve million dollars, making it the largest drive in the history of Miles College. During his fourteen-year tenure as President of Miles College, Dr. French has worked to strengthen the college's academic standing and offerings. Under his direction, faculty has secured some of the largest grants in the college's history, and the initiative of ``culture, class and civility'' has been put into action, in the classroom and throughout all other initiatives. During his presidency, Miles College received a federal grant to become a Center for Academic Excellence in Intelligence. As a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I am especially proud of the work of Miles College within the Intelligence Community. During visits from the Director of the Office of National Intelligence to campus presentations before two Directors of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the students and professors at Miles College brilliantly personified why diversity in the Intelligence Community is so important. In addition, Miles College was rated by HBCU Digest as one of the ``Top Three Most Underrated Historically Black Colleges and Universities.'' Under his impressive leadership, Dr. French has also increased Miles College's allocation to education and educational support services by 11.03 percent. The school's total operating budget has increased significantly as a result of Dr. French's superior fundraising abilities and has realized a 32.28 percent increase in operating revenue thanks to state and federal grants and contracts aimed at reducing student debt. Dr. French's administration has also worked to progressively increase student access to education funding through a 54.31 percent increase in awarded Pell Grants. Dr. French has also kept an eye to the future, acquiring the North Campus, a forty-one-acre site whose inclusion doubles the size of Miles College's existing campus. He has seen the college successfully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an affirmation that will stand through 2023. In addition to his exemplary work at Miles College, Dr. French has been a true servant leader within the broader Birmingham community, boasting numerous awards and accomplishments. In 2011, Dr. French was appointed Treasurer of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and in 2013 he was named the Birmingham Spotlight ``Man of the Year.'' He currently serves on the Regions Financial Diversity Advisory Council and as an officer of the Birmingham Business Alliance Executive Committee. Dr. French was invited by former President Barack Obama to a meeting at the White House and, per the recommendation of U.S. Congressional leaders including Reps. Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner and Terri Sewell, was appointed to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an entity which serves to advise the Secretary of Education. Dr. French was also appointed by the U.S. Congress to serve on the U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Committee, which was established ahead of proposed regulations for the Federal Student Aid programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. On a personal note, I have had the great honor of knowing and working with Dr. French for over a decade. He has been an exemplary President of Miles College, an outstanding mentor and a dear friend. I know that Miles College stands tall today as one of the ``Crown Jewels of Alabama's 7th Congressional District'' because of Dr. French's visionary leadership, fundraising prowess and inspiring and infectious charisma. Thank you for your twenty-three years of supreme service to Miles College and congratulations to you for the outstanding legacy that you will leave here. I am forever grateful for our friendship and for the amazing partnership that my congressional office has enjoyed with Miles College. From growing the college financially and literally to all of the outstanding academic programs and athletic events, you will leave this institution a stronger and better place. For that I say, ``Well done,'' my friend. I know that your brilliance, love of learning, faith and determination has and will continue to serve you well in your new endeavor as the incoming President of Clark Atlanta University. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, the Miles College family, the Birmingham community and the State of Alabama, in paying tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. George T. French, Jr., the beloved 14th President of Miles College. ____________________