[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY ON ITS 150TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 13, 1999

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate 
the 150th anniversary of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), a 
regional, comprehensive university in my hometown dedicated to learning 
in the liberal arts and sciences and the strengthening of our 
communities and economy.
  To appreciate the importance of this University to the state of 
Connecticut and the city of New Britain, we need to understand its 
remarkable history of anticipating the educational needs of our society 
as they have developed and responding with forward thinking, high 
quality courses and new partnerships.
  CCSU is Connecticut's oldest, publicly-supported institution of 
higher education. Founded in 1849 as the New Britain Normal School, a 
training facility for teachers, it moved to the site of its modern-day 
campus in 1922. Eleven years later it became the Teachers College of 
Connecticut and began offering 4 year Bachelor of Arts degrees.
  In 1959, with the capacity to offer liberal arts degrees, it became 
the Central Connecticut State College and in 1983, the Central 
Connecticut State University. The University now not only offers a wide 
range of undergraduate but also graduate programs.
  CCSU plays an important role in the state of Connecticut's education 
mission. It is the largest of four comprehensive Universities within 
the Connecticut State University System and enrolls 12,000 full-time 
and part-time students. Its 400 full-time faculty members, 350 
lecturers and over 500 administrators and staff are dedicated to 
providing a quality educational experience to these students.
  One can learn a great deal about a university from how it defines 
itself. CCSU's mission statement clearly articulates its goal of not 
only educating its students but of preparing them for making positive 
contributions in the challenging, fast paced world of work and the 
equally important world of civic responsibility.
  ``With learning at the heart of all our activities, our fundamental 
responsibility is to empower students to attain the highest standards 
of academic achievement, public service and personal development. 
Preparing students for enlightened and productive participation in a 
global society is our obligation.''
  Through CCSU's active participation in the State and the communities 
of New Britain and Central Connecticut, it not only provides a quality 
education to its students but provides them with an excellent example 
of community involvement and volunteerism. The State of Connecticut 
affords a special designation to those programs which contribute to the 
betterment of the State as a whole and CCSU has earned the ``Center for 
Excellence'' designation in both international education and technology 
education.
  CCSU has long been a generous partner with the people of New Britain 
as they look for ways to bring new businesses to the town and to 
promote a better quality of life for all of its residents. As 
manufacturing faced the challenges of competing globally, CCSU 
developed the state's first Masters degree in Industrial Technical 
Management to accelerate the modernization of manufacturing management 
to enhance quality and productivity. This not only better prepared 
students to help lead the rebirth of manufacturing, but made critical 
resources available to the multitude of small and medium sized 
manufacturers being challenged to meet new standards to succeed in 
serving globally competing companies. Following this development of its 
graduate courses, CCSU developed a Center for International Education 
and a Program in International Business as well as developed 
partnerships with educational institutions in 19 countries around the 
world. CCSU is the State's flagship university in international 
education.
  In its own neighborhood of New Britain and Central Connecticut, the 
University works with many city and community programs to promote the 
economic development of New Britain, including the Mayor's Development 
Cabinet, the Metro Economic Development Authority; the New Britain 
Marketing Collaborative and the Greater New Britain Network Group and 
the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.
  The Center for Social Research (CSR) at CCSU is also involved in 
enhancing economic development by providing critical resources to our 
Neighborhood Revitalization Zones (NRZ) including the Broad Street NRZ, 
the Arch Street NRZ and the North and Oak Street NRZ. It conducted 
research to identify the unemployed and the underemployed in our city 
neighborhoods to enable the city to attract employers who could hire 
them. This approach promises to both strengthen the economic base of 
the community and improve people's lives without creating the urban and 
environmental problems that accompany commuters and their automobiles.
  CCSU serves as a resource for the community at large by performing 
needs assessment and public opinion surveys, developing training 
workshops, and using its resources to help community organizations 
address specific needs. It is also conducting surveys for the Main 
Street New Britain Project to identify the combination of shops and 
restaurants that will bring more people to downtown Main Street.
  In addition, it has partnered with the Klingberg Family Centers of 
New Britain, a day-school and residential facility for troubled 
children and families, to create a Community Outreach Center to better 
serve our families. CCSU's Tutor Corp, funded by Stanley Works, is a 
group of 40 students who work with 150 New Britain middle and high 
school students at risk for dropping out of school. The tutors also 
provide support to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program at Pathways 
Senderos.
  I pay tribute to CCSU's remarkable history of leadership in education 
and creative development of partnerships strengthening our community 
and economy. As Central Connecticut State University nears its 150th 
anniversary on October 23, 1999, I salute this fine institution that 
has served as a stable and generous source of information, expertise, 
guidance and charity throughout its history as it prepares the state's 
youths for adulthood and partners with communities to solve problems. 
We congratulate CCSU on her long and successful history and thank her 
for her leadership into the new millenium.

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