[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 45 (Friday, April 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATE OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE ON 40 YEARS OF EDUCATIONAL 
                               EXCELLENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2005

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Oakland Community 
College on their 40 years of educational excellence.
  When the voters of Oakland County voted to establish the Oakland 
Community College District on June 8, 1964, they not only approved the 
establishment of a valuable opportunity for thousands of students, but 
also an institution which would eventually become one of the State of 
Michigan's largest educational facilities. And, with 888 full-time 
employees, OCC is one of the County's largest employers.
  When the college opened, a record 3,860 students enrolled to take 
classes. Today, annual enrollment reaches 74,000 and some 700,000 
students have received a world-class education at OCC since it opened.
  As the largest community college in the state of Michigan, and 14th 
largest in the nation, OCC has attracted students from over 80 
countries.
  Oakland Community College is certainly a home-town institution with 
more than 11 percent of Oakland County's high school graduates 
attending OCC. The college also boasts the largest freshman class in 
the entire state. And with campuses throughout Oakland County, many of 
which I have had the pleasure to represent at one time or another, this 
institution increasingly became accessible to students. I worked very 
hard years ago with an active group of citizens and Board members to 
open campuses in South Oakland County. Today, the Southfield and Royal 
Oak Campuses are among the two largest in the County.
  OCC is also home to the CREST Program. The CREST or Combined Regional 
Emergency Service Training Facility is a 22-acre site which is the only 
emergency-response training center in the Midwest designed for the 
combined training of police, fire and emergency medical technicians in 
``real-life'' scenarios.
  Mr. Speaker, on May 5th Oakland Community College will celebrate its 
40th anniversary at a dinner to raise money for its scholarship 
endowments. I ask you and my colleagues to join me in saluting a major 
community asset, Oakland Community College, as it celebrates its past 
and focuses on the future.

                          ____________________