HR1314 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1314 LRB097 22916 GRL 71720 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the administration, faculty, and students of Highland Community College on the occasion of the institution's 50th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, After being established by public referendum in November of 1961, Freeport Community College held its first classes in September of 1962 at their temporary location on the campus of Freeport High School; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 1966, a successful referendum held in 15 school districts in Stephenson, Ogle, Jo Daviess, and Carroll Counties established District No. 519; the name Highland Community College was taken the following year; and

WHEREAS, With the generous support of their community and the Highland Community College Foundation - the first such organization in the State of Illinois - Highland Community College moved to their first permanent facilities on the site of the Parker-Taft farm west of Freeport in 1971; and

WHEREAS, The Sports Center, built in 1979 as a result of a partnership between Highland Community College and the YMCA of Northwest Illinois, was the first such cooperative endeavor between a community college and a regional YMCA; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, the HCC West campus was established in Elizabeth to further meet the needs of the residents in the western region of District No. 519; and

WHEREAS, In 2008, Highland Community College established the first associate of applied science degree in wind turbine technology and erected a dedicated Wind Turbine Technician Training Center to house the program; and

WHEREAS, A new state-of-the-art addition to the Natural Science and Health Center, the Ray and Betty Stamm Health Science Nursing Wing, was built in 2009 to house the growing number of students and program offerings in nursing and allied health disciplines; and

WHEREAS, Highland Community College has continually adapted to meet the needs of students and residents of northwest Illinois by offering more than 60 programs of applied and transfer degrees, community education, and business training, as well as theatre, visual arts, and music opportunities for the community; and

WHEREAS, As a proud member of the Illinois Community College System, Highland Community College will celebrate 50 years of excellent service to the communities of northwest Illinois during the 2012-2013 academic year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the administration, faculty, and students of Highland Community College on the occasion of the institution's 50th anniversary of providing quality education and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Highland Community College as a symbol of our esteem and respect.