[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO THE EASTERN CAMPUS OF SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Eastern 
Campus of Suffolk Community College as its students, professors, 
administrators, and friends celebrate the college's 20th anniversary of 
providing higher education to the communities of eastern Long Island.
  Opened in 1977 on a 192-acre site in the rural Pine Barrens region of 
Southampton Town, near the Suffolk County seat in Riverhead, the 
Eastern Campus is the third and smallest campus of Suffolk County 
Community College system. But the dreams of those students who attend 
this 2-year institution of higher education are no smaller than those 
attending the most prestigious Ivy League school. For the past 20 
years, the Eastern Campus of SCCC has provided a glorious opportunity 
to the diverse mix of students from the rural and suburban communities 
of Eastern Suffolk County to receive their college degrees and achieve 
their personal dreams.
  The diversity of the Eastern Campus' student body is as deep as it is 
wide, ranking from those who have just graduated high school to a 
growing number of returning adults--be they displaced workers or former 
homemakers--who seek the advanced skills needed in today's marketplace. 
What they possess in common is a commitment to education and the work 
ethic as the path to a better life.
  The dedication is evident in the 34 percent of students who work 
full-time while attending the college, and the 27 percent who drive 
more than 21 miles to attend classes at the Southampton campus. To 
serve this diverse range of students, the Eastern Campus of SCCC offers 
a wide array of 2-year associates degrees from accounting to 
technology, early childhood education to restaurant management.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representative join me in honoring the Eastern Campus of Suffolk 
Community College on this special 20th anniversary celebration. We on 
eastern Long Island take special pride in our commitment and support 
for education, and we are privileged to have the Eastern Campus of 
Suffolk Community College here in our backyard, providing our family 
and neighbors with the opportunities they need to better themselves and 
make our community a better place for all of us to live and work.

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