HR1445 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1445 LRB094 21665 MST 60051 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois wish to honor Lewis Collens on the occasion of his retirement from the position of president of the Illinois Institute of Technology in the Summer of 2007; and

WHEREAS, He is one of the longest serving university presidents in the United States, having held his current position for sixteen years; his tenure has seen dramatic improvements in student quality and enrollment, creation of a number of significant research centers and institutes, and an endowment that has gone from $50 million to $300 million; and

WHEREAS, He successfully led the largest fundraising campaign in university history that included the two largest individual gifts ever made to an Illinois university at the time; he encouraged the development of several new academic programs, including biomedical engineering, financial markets, design, and math and science teacher education, which today is one of the largest Ph.D. programs in the field; he transformed the school into one of the most selective schools in the country and welcomed the largest freshman class in recent history; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his duties for the school, he is involved in numerous civic, business, and professional activities;he currently serves as a director of Dean Foods Company, AMSTED Industries, Alion Science and Technology Corporation, and The Colson Group; he has also served in various leadership roles on the Advisory Committee of the Partnership for New Communities, Leadership Greater Chicago, The Economic Club of Chicago, Association Independent Technological Universities, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, The Latin School of Chicago, and the Mayors Council of Technology Advisors; and

WHEREAS, Prior to taking his current position, he practiced law in Chicago and Washington, D.C. and was co-founder and chairman of BAR/BRI Educational Publishing Company; he has also served as a Law and Humanities Fellow at Harvard Law School and taught corporate securities law at IIT's Chicago-Kent College of Law, being named dean of the school in 1974; he holds degrees in accounting, philosophy, and law; and

WHEREAS, He is a life-long resident of the Chicago area, where he lives with his wife, Marge; they have one son, Steven; Mr. Collens will continue in his current position while a national search is conducted for his successor; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Lewis Collens on the occasion of his retirement in the Summer of 2007; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Collens as an expression of our respect and esteem.