[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8862-S8863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 99--HONORING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT 
       OMAHA FOR ITS 100 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO HIGHER EDUCATION.

  Mr. HAGEL submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                            S. Con. Res. 99

       Whereas local leaders in the Omaha area formed a 
     corporation known as the University of Omaha on October 8, 
     1908, for the promotion of sound learning and education;
       Whereas, on September 14, 1909, the first 26 University of 
     Omaha students gathered in Redick Hall, located west of 24th 
     and Pratt Streets in the city of Omaha;
       Whereas, during the first 10 years of existence, the key 
     division of the University of Omaha was Liberal Arts College, 
     designed to produce a well-rounded and informed student;
       Whereas, in 1910, the University of Nebraska announced it 
     would accept all University of Omaha coursework as equivalent 
     to its own, a milestone in terms of recognition for the new 
     institution and acknowledgement of its substantial and 
     respected curriculum;
       Whereas, in December 1916, the University of Omaha students 
     had a farewell party for Redick Hall and moved into their new 
     building, a 3-story, 30-classroom building named Joslyn Hall;
       Whereas, in 1929, the University of Omaha board of trustees 
     and the people of Omaha voted to create the new Municipal 
     University of Omaha to replace the old University of Omaha on 
     May 30, 1930;
       Whereas, in 1936, the Municipal University of Omaha 
     acquired 20 acres of land north of Elmwood Park and south of 
     West Dodge Street, which would become the site of the 
     present-day campus;
       Whereas the University dedicated its beautiful Georgian-
     style administration building in November 1938, capable of 
     accommodating a student body of 1,000;
       Whereas the increased enrollment of World War II veterans 
     in 1945 due to the Montgomery GI Bill led to the completion 
     of several new buildings, including a field house,

[[Page S8863]]

     library, student center, and engineering building;
       Whereas, in 1950, the College of Education was separated 
     from the College of Arts and Sciences, and within 3 years 1/3 
     of all teachers in Omaha public schools held degrees from the 
     Municipal University;
       Whereas the College of Business Administration was founded 
     in 1952, and the business community responded by creating 
     internship programs for accounting, insurance, real estate, 
     and retailing at major firms and for students interested in 
     the field of television at station KMTV;
       Whereas 12,000 members of the military, including 15 who 
     rose to the rank of general, were able to receive a Bachelor 
     of General Education degree through the College of Adult 
     Education ``Bootstrap'' program;
       Whereas the University received a Reserve Officers' 
     Training Corps (ROTC) unit in July 1951;
       Whereas Municipal University became a leader in radio-
     television journalism by founding its own radio station in 
     1951, and in 1952 became the first institution in the Midwest 
     to offer courses by television;
       Whereas Municipal University became part of the University 
     of Nebraska system in July 1968, and was renamed the 
     University of Nebraska at Omaha, its present-day name;
       Whereas, in 1977, the North Central Association of Colleges 
     and Secondary Schools gave the University of Nebraska at 
     Omaha the highest rating possible;
       Whereas, in an effort to gain a more suitable location for 
     conferences and an off-campus class site, the University 
     opened the Peter Kiewit Conference Center in 1980;
       Whereas the University has established innovative programs 
     that enrich the community through service learning, support 
     of the arts, outreach programs for business, education, and 
     government, and creation of dual-enrollment programs for 
     Nebraska high school students;
       Whereas the University has 90,000 graduates, with nearly 
     half of those still residing, raising families, and building 
     careers in the Omaha metropolitan area; and
       Whereas the year 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the 
     founding of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the 
     activities to commemorate its founding will begin on October 
     8, 2008: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress congratulates the University of 
     Nebraska at Omaha on its 100 years of outstanding service to 
     the city of Omaha, the State of Nebraska, the United States, 
     and the world in fulfilling its mission of providing sound 
     learning and education.

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