Whereas local leaders in the Omaha area formed a
corporation known as the University of Omaha on October 8, 1908, for the
promotion of sound learning and education;
Whereas, on September 14, 1909, the first 26 University of
Omaha students gathered in Redick Hall, located west of 24th and Pratt Streets
in the city of Omaha;
Whereas, during the first 10 years of existence, the key
division of the University of Omaha was Liberal Arts College, designed to
produce a well-rounded and informed student;
Whereas, in 1910, the University of Nebraska announced it
would accept all University of Omaha coursework as equivalent to its own, a
milestone in terms of recognition for the new institution and acknowledgement
of its substantial and respected curriculum;
Whereas, in December 1916, the University of Omaha
students had a farewell party for Redick Hall and moved into their new
building, a 3-story, 30-classroom building named Joslyn Hall;
Whereas, in 1929, the University of Omaha board of
trustees and the people of Omaha voted to create the new Municipal University
of Omaha to replace the old University of Omaha on May 30, 1930;
Whereas, in 1936, the Municipal University of Omaha
acquired 20 acres of land north of Elmwood Park and south of West Dodge Street,
which would become the site of the present-day campus;
Whereas the University dedicated its beautiful
Georgian-style administration building in November 1938, capable of
accommodating a student body of 1,000;
Whereas the increased enrollment of World War II veterans
in 1945 due to the Montgomery GI Bill led to the completion of several new
buildings, including a field house, library, student center, and engineering
building;
Whereas, in 1950, the College of Education was separated
from the College of Arts and Sciences, and within 3 years
1/3 of all teachers in Omaha public schools held degrees
from the Municipal University;
Whereas the College of Business Administration was founded
in 1952, and the business community responded by creating internship programs
for accounting, insurance, real estate, and retailing at major firms and for
students interested in the field of television at station KMTV;
Whereas 12,000 members of the military, including 15 who
rose to the rank of general, were able to receive a Bachelor of General
Education degree through the College of Adult Education
Bootstrap
program;
Whereas the University received a Reserve Officers'
Training Corps (ROTC) unit in July 1951;
Whereas Municipal University became a leader in
radio-television journalism by founding its own radio station in 1951, and in
1952 became the first institution in the Midwest to offer courses by
television;
Whereas Municipal University became part of the University
of Nebraska system in July 1968, and was renamed the University of Nebraska at
Omaha, its present-day name;
Whereas, in 1977, the North Central Association of
Colleges and Secondary Schools gave the University of Nebraska at Omaha the
highest rating possible;
Whereas, in an effort to gain a more suitable location for
conferences and an off-campus class site, the University opened the Peter
Kiewit Conference Center in 1980;
Whereas the University has established innovative programs
that enrich the community through service learning, support of the arts,
outreach programs for business, education, and government, and creation of
dual-enrollment programs for Nebraska high school students;
Whereas the University has 90,000 graduates, with nearly
half of those still residing, raising families, and building careers in the
Omaha metropolitan area; and
Whereas the year 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the
founding of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the activities to
commemorate its founding will begin on October 8, 2008: Now, therefore, be
it
That Congress congratulates the
University of Nebraska at Omaha on its 100 years of outstanding service to the
city of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, the United States, and the world in
fulfilling its mission of providing sound learning and education.