GOOD MORNING.
AND WELCOME TO GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY.
I'M SO {HAP} PAW TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH
US.
AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, I AM NOT
DR. {ISMT} KING JORDAN.
I'M A LITTLE SHORTER THAN HE IS AND
ALSO, I DON'T RUN IN MARATHONS.
ACTUALLY, I PANT WHEN I WALK.
HOWEVER, I DO SHARE HIS DEEP COMMITMENT
TO GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY AND I AM HONORED
TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU
TO OUR CAMPUS.
MY NAME IS ACTUALLY, JACK R GANNON.
I'M DR. JORDAN'S SPECIAL ASSISTANT.
DR. JORDAN REGRETS THAT COULDN'T BE WITH
YOU TODAY DUE TO A PREVIOUS COMMITMENT.
BUT HE ASKED ME TO PLEASE CONVEY HIS
BEST WISHES FOR A VERY SUCCESSFUL
CONFERENCE.
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY WAS ESTABLISHED IN
1964.
BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS.
AND IN THE MIDST OF THE CIVIL WAR,
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN SIGNED
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY'S CHARTER MAKING IT
THE FIRST TIME THAT COLLEGE DEGREES
COULD BE AWARDED TO DEAF STUDENTS.
IF YOU HAVE TIME, PLEASE DO VISIT OUR
CAMPUS.
AND ALSO, CHECK OUT THE BOOK STORE.
WHERE YOU WILL NOTICE MANY MEMORIALS ON
THE CAMPUS AND GET A TASTE OF OUR
HISTORY.
MANY OF THE FIRST BUILDINGS BUILT HERE
ARE STILL IN USE TODAY.
GALLAUDET IS A 99 ACRE CAMPUS.
WE ALSO HAVE A MODEL HIGH SCHOOL AND A
DEMONSTRATION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON
CAMPUS.
THAT IS PLACE WHERE FACULTY AND
RESEARCHERS CAN DEVELOP CURRICULUM AND
MATERIALS FOR WAYS OF TEACHING DEAF AND
HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN THAT CAN THEN
BE USED AROUND THE WORLD.
WE ARE A MULTI CULTURAL AND BILINGUAL
COMMUNITY.
WITH A GOAL TOWARD EXCELLENCE IN
EDUCATION AND LEARNING.
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY SERVES 20200
STUDENT, BOTH GRAD STATE AND UNDER
GRADUATES LEVELS AND ALSO MANY MORE
STUDENTS THROUGH OUR REGIONAL CENTERS.
AND THROUGH THIS KELLOGG CONFERENCE
CENTER.
MUCH OF THE WORLD LEARNED ABOUT
GALLAUDET BACK IN MARCH OF 1988.
AT THAT TIME, OUR STUDENTS STARTED THE
DEAF PRESIDENT NOW PROTEST.
AND THAT PROTEST RECEIVED FRONT PAGE
COVERAGE.
AND PRIME TV COVERAGE AS WELL.
I WAS SO SURPRISED THAT MANY PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD BECOME AWARE ABOUT WHAT
WAS HAPPENING HERE.
AT THAT TIME, GALLAUDET WAS 124 YEARS
OLD.
AND HAD BEEN GRADUATING MANY SUCCESSFUL
STUDENTS.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO APPOINT A
PRESIDENT, A SEARCH COMMITTEE DID A
NATIONAL SEARCH FOR CANIDATES.
AND RECOMMENDED THREE INDIVIDUALS TO THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS EXCELLENT
CANDIDATES, TWO BEING DEAF AND ONE
HEARING.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHOSE THE AREAING
CANDIDATE.
--HEARING CANDIDATE.
THE STUDENTS AND MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT
THAT THE DEAF PERSON, ONE OF THE DEAF
PEOPLE WOULD BE SELECTED.
BUT WHEN THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, THE STUDENT
{PS} PROTESTED.
THAT WAS VERY DIFFERENT AND VERY OUT OF
CHARACTER AND MANY OF THE OLDER DEAF
PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED BY THIS PROTEST.
BUT GRADUALLY, MANY CAME TO AGREE WITH
THIS CAUSE OF APPOINTING A SUCCESSFUL
DEAF LEADER.
THE PROTEST WAS SUCCESSFUL AND TODAY,
DR. {ISMT} KING JORDAN, IS GALLAUDET'S
-- {ISMT} KING JORDAN IS GALLAUDET'S
FIRST DEAF PRESIDENT.
THE DEAF PRESIDENT NOW PROTEST WHICH WE
CALL D P N ACHIEVED MANY THINGS.
INCLUDING RAISING THE EXPECTATIONS AND
AMBITIONS OF OUR STUDENTS.
NOW, THEY REALIZE THAT THEY CAN BE
WHATEVER THEY WANT TO BE.
IF THEY ARE TOLLING STUDY HARD AND WORK
HARD TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.
GALLAUDET HELPS THEM BY PROVIDING THE
BEST POSSIBLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT BUT
IN THE END, THEY REALIZE THAT MUCH
DEPENDS ON THEMSELVES.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE SEE A
GROWING NUMBER OF DEAF PH.D STUDENTS
DOCTORS, DENTISTS, LAYERS AND COLLEGE
PROFESSORS.
THEY ARE JUST PROVING ONCE AGAIN
DR. {ISMT} KING JORDAN FAMOUS PHRASE,
DEAF PEOPLE CAN DO ANYTHING EXCEPT HEAR.
SO WELCOME TO GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY.
WE WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS.