The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF DR. DUANE M. FORD” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E977 on June 25, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF DR. DUANE M. FORD
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HON. RON KIND
of wisconsin
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of the career of Dr. Duane M. Ford, President of Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. He served as the fifth president of the College for the past four years.
Dr. Ford grew up on a family farm outside of Tonica, Illinois. He spent much of his childhood doing chores and helping out with the farm work. He eventually went on to University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy with Highest and University Honors in 1977. After farming with his father and brother for two years, he studied at Iowa State University, where he received an M.S. and a Ph.D. He then served as a Post-Doctorate Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In 1986, he began his career in teaching and academic leadership at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where he first discovered his passion for teaching. While at Truman State, he served as Convener of the Agricultural Science Discipline, as Associate Division Head for the Division of Science, received a fellowship in the W.K. Kellogg National Leadership Program (1991-1994), and studied for a sabbatical year at the Center for Biotechnology Policy and Ethics at Texas A&M University (1993-1994). In 1996, Dr. Ford became the Chairperson of the Department of Agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. From 1999-2011 he was Dean of the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he also served as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor before becoming President of Southwest Tech in 2011.
Under President Ford's leadership, Southwest Tech has become a premiere place for high-quality, affordable education and training. Dr. Ford has a strong relationship with businesses in the area, and he has adapted the curriculum to reflect the needs of the nearly 12,000 students per year attending Southwest Tech. Throughout his career, he has stayed true to his Midwest roots. He was a creative thinker and tireless advocate for education. I personally have enjoyed working with Duane, first at UW-Platteville, then as President of Southwest Tech, where his pursuit of quality educational opportunities for his students was inspirational. He will be missed.
Duane and his wife Sheri currently live in Platteville, Wisconsin. They have two adult children, Hollie and Simon, a grandson, Matt, and a cat named Dusty. In his retirement, Duane looks forward to pursuing his hobbies of running, bicycling, baking and disc golf. Dr. Ford will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for Southwest Health Center.
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