James Gerlach ’77
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES, MAY 21, 2017
James Gerlach ’77
Doctor of Political Science
Citation presented by David O’Connell
Associate Professor of Political Science
Conferring of the degree by Neil Weissman, Interim President
Rep. Gerlach, at a time when America’s political system is far too often marked by bitter partisanship, intense ideological polarization and extreme anger, you serve as an example of a better type of politics. Your career reminds us that politics is not war, and that a difference in opinion does not make us enemies.
You have served the people of Pennsylvania well through a distinguished career in government. Beginning in 1990, you served two terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, followed by two terms in the Pennsylvania State Senate. In 2002, you were elected to the U. S. House of Representatives from the Sixth District in Pennsylvania, a position you would hold for six consecutive terms. Over the course of this nearly quarter-century as an elected official, you have embodied the potential to be found when we remember that the ultimate purpose of government is not to score points, but to solve problems.
Publicly, you would often describe yourself as a “middle-of-the-road Republican,” or as a “moderate centrist.” So it’s not surprising that advanced statistical analysis of your voting record shows that you regularly ranked as one of the 15 most moderate members of the House Republican caucus. You had clear political values, but your record provides ample evidence of your willingness to vote against your party when you felt it was the right thing to do.
You also grasped that good policy has to strike a balance between competing goals and interests. For example, although you were a tireless advocate for economic development, you also recognized that economic prosperity shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment, and so you were a consistent proponent of land preservation at both the state and federal levels. Between 2006 and 2012 alone, $94 million worth of farmland and natural habitats were conserved due to tax credits you sponsored.
One of your signature legislative achievements came in your first year in Congress, when President George W. Bush signed into law your bill that established a national veterans’ cemetery in Bucks County. Your law helped the nearly 350,000 veterans in southeastern Pennsylvania who wanted to be buried closer to home, when the nearest cemetery at the time was over 90 miles away.
Your leadership on this issue ultimately reflected your common-sense, people-first approach to governing. As you told one reporter just before you left office, “you work on issues that your constituents want you to work on.” You regularly spoke about how much gratification you felt when you and your staff helped people in your district with their everyday concerns, like seniors who didn’t receive their Social Security checks, men and women who needed assistance with visas and veterans facing obstacles to needed benefits. You always tried to treat these individuals with the respect to which they are entitled. Responding to a study that revealed your public remarks were delivered at a higher grade level than all but two other members of Congress, you said, “My goal when communicating, whether it is with constituents or colleagues on the House floor, is to focus on substance rather than sound bites. That’s what people expect and deserve.”
Yet even given the tremendous burdens of public office, you have never lost your connection with “noble Dickinsonia.” You first came to Carlisle from the small town of Ellwood City in western Pennsylvania. While at Dickinson, you jumped into life at the college, majoring in political science and becoming an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. But perhaps you most made a name for yourself on campus as a four-year starting running back for the football team. On October 9, 1976, you helped lead the Red Devils to our greatest win in school history when the team defeated Widener University, 17-6, despite entering the game as 40-point underdogs. After graduating, you served the college as a member of the Board of Trustees in the late 1980s. And, while a sitting member of the U.S. Congress, you somehow still often found the time to come back to campus, whether for Clarke Forum events or to celebrate the achievements of the college’s athletic teams.
Interim President Weissman, for his distinguished record of service, for the powerful example he has set of the importance of civility and compromise, and for his undying love for this college and this community, I am proud to present the honorable James “Jim” Gerlach, class of 1977, as a candidate for an honorary degree of Doctor of Political Science.
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James Gerlach, upon the recommendation of the Faculty to the Board of Trustees, and by its mandamus, I confer upon you the Degree of Doctor of Political Science, honoris causa, with all the rights, privileges and distinction thereunto appertaining, in token of which I present you with this diploma and cause you to be invested with the hood of Dickinson College appropriate to the degree.