The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING DR. JULIETA GARCIA
______
HON. VICENTE GONZALEZ
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Julieta Garcia, who recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian honor. Dr. Garcia was the first Mexican American woman to serve as a college president in the United States.
A native of Brownsville, Texas, Dr. Garcia received her Ph.D. in communication and linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. and B.A. in speech and English from the University of Houston. Dr. Garcia has devoted her life's work to bringing equitable education and opportunity to South Texas, leading the way for higher education innovation.
Dr. Garcia served as President of Texas Southmost College (TSC) from 1986 to 1991, where she successfully led a $13.5 million general obligation bond election, the first in the history of the college. During her tenure at Texas Southmost, she led a successful campaign to raise $1 million for scholarships in the poorest community in the United States, helping local students gain access to education.
She also spearheaded efforts to establish a program between Texas Southmost College and University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB), allowing students in the region to pursue doctoral degrees. Garcia became the president of this unique partnership from 1991 to 2013. Over the course of her leadership, the institution doubled the number of degree programs offered, doubled the number of full-time faculty, grew enrollment by two and a half times, and tripled the number of degrees conferred annually.
Dr. Garcia was named the 2009 Time Magazine Top 10 College President, 2014 Forbes Magazine Top 50 World Leader, and holds honorary degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Brown University, Smith College, and Princeton University. She also is the recipient of an ACE Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted in the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.
Madam Speaker, Dr. Julieta Garcia is an incredible leader with an unwavering commitment to accessible education and her legacy will be remembered for generations to come. She has enriched the lives of many South Texas students, and I am proud to recognize her latest achievement today.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 115
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