[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 118 (Friday, August 3, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF BRICE W. HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2012

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the service of 
Brice Harris, as he retires from his position as Chancellor of the Los 
Rios Community College District. Throughout his remarkable 16 years as 
chancellor, Mr. Harris has skillfully guided the district on a steady 
path leaving a lasting legacy across the Sacramento region. I ask all 
of my colleagues to join me in honoring this remarkable Sacramentan.
  Chancellor Harris joined the Los Rios Community College District in 
1996. He had been serving as the President of Fresno City College and 
spent time in the leadership positions with community colleges in the 
Midwest. One of his many remarkable accomplishments as Chancellor was 
the oversight and accreditation of the district's fourth college, 
Folsom Lake College, which is a wonderful addition to the Sacramento 
region serving more than 9,000 students to date. Furthermore, his 
concern for students' ability to access a quality education, led him to 
fight to keep fees low in a time of budget cuts, encouraged light rail 
and public transit access to the district's colleges and led to efforts 
to pass local bond measures to expand Los Rios facilities.
  Under his leadership, the district began to create programs to meet 
both the needs of the local workforce and students transferring to the 
state's four year college system. Understanding the need for more 
nurses and healthcare professionals, Chancellor Harris formed the 
HealthForce program, which has strengthened and expanded the Los Rios' 
nursing programs. He then went on to create GreenForce, which 
encourages students to enter into, and train in, the growing clean 
technology fields. These initiatives exemplify Chancellor Harris' 
forward thinking approach to education and his unwavering drive to help 
students succeed.
  Chancellor Harris has been an outstanding member of the Sacramento 
community. He was honored by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of 
Commerce as ``Sacramentan of the Year'' and named ``Humanitarian of the 
Year'' by United Cerebral Palsy of Sacramento and Northern California. 
In addition, he has served as chair of the Sacramento Area Commerce and 
Trade Organization and of the Northern California World Trade Center. 
Chancellor Harris was also an active participant on the Crocker Art 
Museum Board of Directors.
  Mr. Speaker, as Chancellor Brice Harris prepares to retire I ask my 
colleagues to join me in wishing him continued good fortune in his 
future endeavors. Chancellor Harris has stood as an instrumental force 
behind the strengthening of Sacramento's education system and 
workforce, and we all are thankful for his efforts.

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