[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 160 (Monday, October 24, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1908-E1909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    160TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 24, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing the 160th anniversary of the 
University of the District of Columbia, the only public institution of 
higher education in our nation's capital.
  The University of the District of Columbia, then known as the Colored 
Girls School, was founded by Myrtilla Miner on December 4, 1851. Over 
the next 160 years, the single-room schoolhouse flourished into an 
exceptional institution offering academic programs to generations of 
students. The University, as we know it today, was formally established 
by a 1974 Act of Congress, and became a land-grant institution in 1862. 
Today, it is the only completely urban land-grant institution in the 
country.
  The University serves over 5,300 students and offers more than eighty 
undergraduate and graduate programs across six colleges. The 
University's new community college, established under the leadership of 
University President Dr. Allen Sessoms, is thriving and provides its 
students with associate, certificate, and workforce development 
programs in high-demand fields.
  Continuing its legacy of excellence in teacher education, which began 
with the Miner and Wilson Normal Schools more than a hundred years ago, 
the University recently founded the National Center for Urban 
Education, which will prepare teachers for the unique demands of our 
nation's urban schools.
  Fulfilling its land-grant mission, the University is pursuing an 
aggressive research agenda in dozens of areas, including renewable 
energy, urban sustainability, cancer biology, applied statistics, and 
computer science.
  The David A. Clarke School of Law, which joined the University in 
1996, is the second most diverse law school in the country. Its unique 
emphasis on clinical education led Attorney General Eric Holder to 
declare its clinical programs a model for other law schools. This year, 
law students will provide over 85,000 hours of pro bono legal 
assistance to our community.
  To support its recent growth, the University is undergoing a massive 
physical transformation, with three major satellite campuses and a 
community college that opened in the past two years, upgrades to the 
main Van Ness campus, and a new state-of-the-art student center, which 
we will soon break ground on.
  Although the University was born out of the humble beginnings of a 
one-room school house, it has been dedicated to excellence in education 
and opportunities for all of its 160-year history. I am proud of the 
University and ask the House to join me in commending the University 
community on its accomplishments over the last 160 years.

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