[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  MONTGOMERY COLLEGE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the 
many accomplishments of an exceptional institution of higher education 
in my own State of Maryland.
  This year Montgomery College celebrates its 50th anniversary of 
providing quality higher and continuing education to the men and women 
of Montgomery County and the entire State of Maryland.
  Since it began educating the men and women of Maryland 50 years ago, 
Montgomery College has experienced remarkable growth. From its modest 
beginnings with 186 students in borrowed classrooms at a local high 
school, Montgomery College's enrollment has increased to over 22,000 
students who study at three campuses across the county in Germantown, 
Rockville, and Takoma Park. Over the years, half a million students 
have benefited from a Montgomery College education, preparing 
themselves for enrollment in a 4 year college and for direct entry into 
an increasingly high-technology workplace.
  The rapid pace of technological development and the increasing 
complexity of our economy has created a new set of challenges for our 
Nation's institutions of higher education. Montgomery College has 
proven to be a national leader in responding to these challenges, 
developing a new state-of-the-art high technology and science center to 
be dedicated on October 10, 1996. This innovative project--a joint 
effort of State and local government--encompasses advanced technologies 
to further the educational opportunities for Maryland students and 
improve the economic competitiveness of our State.
  Mr. President, it is my view that offering students the opportunity 
for a true education and helping them to develop their potential for 
success in our sophisticated and complex society are among the most 
important challenges facing our Nation. Montgomery College has risen to 
meet these challenges and is to be commended for its ambitious views of 
the future as well as its open-door admission policy, which makes that 
future accessible to all the citizens of Montgomery County and of 
Maryland.
  Fifty years ago, Montgomery College was viewed as a ``great 
experiment in higher education.'' It is clear from the accomplishments 
of the past half century that this experiment has been eminently 
successful in providing lifelong learning and enhanced opportunities 
for thousands of Marylanders.

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