Recognizing the Distinguished Service of Dr. Marion Ross Fedrick

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a loving wife, dedicated mother, committed community servant, and effective higher education administrator, Dr. Marion Ross Fedrick. President Dr. Fedrick will be honored for her seven years of service at Albany State University during the annual Blue and Gold Gala that will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Dr. Fedrick is leaving the university to become the new Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff for Georgia State University. She will also serve as Special Advisor to Chancellor Sonny Perdue for his Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Fedrick has sought to better herself through education to serve others. She is a three-time graduate of the University of Georgia, earning a bachelor's degree in adult education, with a concentration in organizational development, a master's degree in public administration, and a Ph.D. in higher education.

Because of her commitment to excellence, she has excelled professionally. She has given her time and talents to several organizations to include Clark-Atlanta University, Emory University Hospitals, State of Georgia Office of State Personnel Administration, AT&T, and the Former Bell South Corporation. Dr. Fedrick also served as the University System of Georgia's Vice Chancellor of Human Resources.

On August 14, 2018, the trajectory of Albany State University changed forever when Dr. Fedrick was appointed at the 10th President of the University after serving as Interim President and Executive Vice President. It has been said that: ``Education is the passport to the future, it belongs to those who prepare for it today.'' Dr. Fedrick used her time at Albany State to prepare thousands of young people to embrace their futures with confidence. She has done this by being a leader who has embraced focusing on the whole being of the student-- academically, socially and spiritually. Dr. Fedrick has expanded access and opportunities for students by increasing campus-wide resources. Dr. Fedrick has truly lived by the words of Mary McLeod Bethune when she said that ``We have powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we direct their power toward good ends.'' Dr. Fedrick has helped all students who have come through the doors of Albany State during her tenure to direct their power towards the betterment of humankind.

Dr. Fedrick has truly advanced the University though a variety of initiatives to include a redesign of the university's academic colleges, approval of the University System of Georgia's first nexus degrees and the design and implementation of the University's integrated student success model. As a result of her ingenuity and visionary leadership, the University has achieved a sixteen percent increase in retention and a six percent increase in enrollment.

Dr. Fedrick is widely respected by her colleagues because of her enduring commitment to student success, racial and social equity and the power of community. She has used her powerful voice to be a spokesperson for access, equity, and fairness. Dr. Fedrick has helped to strengthen the bond between Albany State and the greater Albany community. Dr. Fedrick has been associated with and contributed to a wide variety of initiatives in the University System of Georgia to include the mental health task force and The Georgia COVID-19 Health Equity Council. This initiative helped the Georgia Department of Community Health to improve its outreach to communities most affected by the virus. This ensured the fair distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Fedrick has accomplished much in her life but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God and the love and support of her husband, Horace and her daughter, Grace.

On a personal note, I have worked with many University Presidents over the years. Dr. Fedrick has been one of the most effective presidents that I will have worked with during my time in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian, and the 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District in expressing our deepest gratitude and best wishes to President Dr. Marion Ross Fedrick for her dedicated service to Albany State University. May God continue to bless her and her family as she enters a new chapter in her remarkable life.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source