[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 56 (Thursday, May 7, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4542-S4543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 225--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
   35TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY 
                             COLLEGE SYSTEM

  Mr. FAIRCLOTH (for himself and Mr. Helms) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 225

       Whereas the General Assembly of North Carolina adopted the 
     first Community College Act and provided funding for 
     community colleges in 1957;
       Whereas Governor Terry Sanford appointed a Governor's 
     Commission on Education Beyond the High School in 1962, that 
     brought about the unifying of industrial education centers 
     and community colleges into 1 system;
       Whereas the General Assembly of North Carolina enacted 
     legislation in 1963 establishing a State Department of 
     Community Colleges, under the State Board of Education;
       Whereas in the early 1970's, the growth rate of community 
     colleges exceeded 10 percent annually, and in 1974 the growth 
     rate reached 33 percent;
       Whereas the General Assembly of North Carolina 
     reestablished the State Department of Community Colleges in 
     1979, and made the department independent of the State Board 
     of Education, effective on January 1, 1981;
       Whereas in 1983, the North Carolina Community College 
     System celebrated the system's 20th anniversary, having 
     emerged as the Nation's third largest State network of 
     community colleges;
       Whereas the North Carolina Community College System began 
     with 6 community colleges and has grown to include 59 post-
     high school learning institutions;
       Whereas in 1997 Congress passed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 
     1997 that established the Hope Scholarship Credits which 
     provided a $1,500 tax credit for community college students 
     to help defray the cost of their education, thus allowing 
     many more students the opportunity to attend classes;
       Whereas by attracting more students to community colleges 
     with the Hope Scholarship Credits, a larger number of 
     students are being taught valuable job skills;
       Whereas by improving the training and skills of our 
     Nation's workers in community colleges, our Nation is 
     creating better jobs in manufacturing and technology 
     throughout the United States, thus keeping our Nation 
     competitive in the global marketplace;
       Whereas by recruiting businesses to locate or expand their 
     operations in North Carolina with the promise that North 
     Carolina community colleges will train their workforce, 
     hundreds of thousands of jobs in North Carolina have been 
     created;
       Whereas 1 out of every 6 adults enrolls at a community 
     college each year;
       Whereas enrollment in community colleges is expected to 
     exceed 800,000 students by the end of the year 2000;
       Whereas community colleges train 95 percent of North 
     Carolina's firefighters and more than 80 percent of North 
     Carolina's law enforcement officers;

[[Page S4543]]

       Whereas basic law enforcement training students from 
     community colleges show a 98 percent passing rate on North 
     Carolina licensing and certification exams;
       Whereas community colleges educate 65 percent of North 
     Carolina's registered nurses, and since 1990, community 
     college nursing graduates have achieved a nearly 95 percent 
     passing rate on the North Carolina licensure exam;
       Whereas the North Carolina Community College System has 
     created a world-class workforce, with almost 297,000 adults 
     trained in 1997 through occupational extension classes and 
     in-plant training courses;
       Whereas The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, 
     Business Week magazine, and Fortune magazine all recognized 
     the excellent business and industry services in the North 
     Carolina community colleges in 1997;
       Whereas North Carolina's community colleges confer 1 out of 
     every 5 of North Carolina's high school diplomas;
       Whereas more than 127,000 adults in North Carolina enroll 
     annually in various basic skills programs in community 
     colleges;
       Whereas nearly 13,000 literacy classes are offered annually 
     by North Carolina community colleges at approximately 2,000 
     community sites; and
       Whereas more than 13,600 of North Carolina's community 
     college students increased their income by millions of 
     dollars last year and saved North Carolina $450,000 in 
     welfare payments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     people of the United States should celebrate the 35th 
     anniversary of the founding of the North Carolina Community 
     College System, and all that this great system has done to 
     educate and train the people of North Carolina.

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