[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E893-E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MERRITT COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Merritt College, one of 
the 9th Congressional District's outstanding institutions of higher 
education, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
  Located in the East Oakland hills, Merritt College is part of the 
Peralta Community College District in Alameda County. Merritt College 
is named for one of the pioneer developers of Oakland, Dr. Samuel 
Merritt, who first came to Oakland in 1850. When the community college 
concept was still evolving, Merritt College and one of its sister 
campuses, Laney College, were known earlier as the Merritt School of 
Business and the Joseph C. Laney Trade and Technical Institute. In July 
of 1953, the Board of Education created Oakland Junior College, 
developing Laney and Merritt as separate and distinct campuses of the 
new institution. The following year Merritt added a liberal arts 
curriculum to the already established business program, and in June 
1955, the first students graduated with Associate in Arts degrees.
  In November 1963, local residents voted to establish a separate 
junior college district, which was named in honor of Sgt. Luis Maria 
Peralta, the 19th-century owner of the 44,800 acres throughout which 
the district campuses are located. The following summer, the Board of 
Education voted to offer vocational, technical and liberal arts courses 
on each of the existing campuses. In 1965, voters passed a $47 million 
bond issue for the construction of additional campuses, and in 1971 
Merritt College moved from Grove Street to its current home in the East 
Oakland hills.
  Since that time, the faculty and students at Merritt College have 
continued the campus' tradition of academic excellence. Offering 
programs in over 70 different academic and vocational fields, Merritt 
enrolls more than 6,500 students each semester and equips its graduates 
for careers in law, medicine, art, nursing, government, radiological 
technology, early childhood education and more. Merritt offers day and 
evening programs of transfer, technical, occupational and basic skills 
education, and its programs and services have historically been 
provided by distinguished faculty and staff who are widely known and 
respected in their disciplines.
  In addition, the student body at Merritt College represents a variety 
of cultures from throughout the U.S. and the world. Merritt is known 
for its outreach efforts and initiatives that seek to make education 
available to all, as evidenced by its work at the Fruitvale Education 
Center, local high schools and child care centers, and at Oakland City 
training centers for the police and fire departments. Merritt College 
sets a leading example of the steps that our educational institutions 
must take in order to make high-caliber educational experiences and 
credentials available, accessible and affordable to all.
  On Friday, May 6, 2005, our community joins together to celebrate the 
innumerable contributions Merritt College has made to Oakland and the 
East Bay during the past half-century. Particularly during a time when 
our educational system is facing new and growing

[[Page E894]]

challenges, it is important for us to be able to look to exemplary 
institutions such as Merritt for encouragement and inspiration. On 
behalf of the 9th Congressional District, I salute and congratulate 
Merritt College for 50 extraordinary years of service to our community. 
Merritt's students and stewards have demonstrated that an institution 
of higher education can not only be dynamic and innovative, but can 
truly be a force for hope, community empowerment and social change.

                          ____________________