[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 30, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WAKE TECH'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 30, 2013

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Wake 
Technical Community College on its 50th Anniversary.
  In the late 1950s, the North Carolina General Assembly launched an 
innovative concept in higher education and provided funding for new 
industrial education centers that would train adults with the 
vocational and technical skills needed in the region for emerging 
industries.
  In 1958, Wake Technical Community College, then named Wake County 
Industrial Education Center, started offering a few classes to about 70 
students. By 1963, the new institution had found a home, and the W.W. 
Holding Industrial Education Center officially opened in October 1963, 
with 34 full-time students and an additional 270 students taking 
classes at community sites. Today, Wake Tech has expanded to five 
campuses, and is soon to develop a sixth. The college also operates two 
centers and dozens of community sites throughout Wake County. It offers 
180 associates degrees, diplomas and certificates, preparing students 
for immediate employment and increasingly serving as a gateway to four-
year institutions. Enrollment has grown to nearly 70,000 students this 
year, making Wake Tech the largest community college in North Carolina. 
It is the second fastest growing community college in all of America!
  For years, North Carolina's leaders have recognized the critical role 
that technical and community colleges play as drivers of economic 
growth and renewal. Visionaries such as Governor Terry Sanford 
understood that community colleges could help lift generations of North 
Carolinians out of poverty, and that they could be a powerful magnet 
drawing new businesses and industries to our state. Nowhere has the 
success of this vision been more prominent than in the ``Research 
Triangle.'' Education has been the catalyst for this economic 
transformation, and our region's community colleges--Wake Tech in 
particular--have served as its engine.
  Wake Tech has produced world-class business leaders and 
entrepreneurs, as well as highly capable workers, and has done so while 
constantly reinventing itself as industries have evolved or given way 
to new ones. I commend Wake Tech on its ability to recruit and retain 
quality faculty, and its ability to maintain flexible, accessible, 
customized educational and training programs for North Carolina 
citizens. Its effective and beneficial community partnerships, 
outstanding ability to identify the workforce needs of the region, and 
commitment to measuring resource allocation and quality outcomes are 
only part of what make Wake Tech such an asset to the region. Fifty 
years after opening its doors, Wake Tech is still leading the way in 
world-class training, education, and workforce development.
  In honor of its 50th anniversary, Wake Tech has launched a new logo, 
featuring a torch to symbolize the role Wake Tech plays in helping 
students find their way along the path of higher education. The new 
motto, ``Lead the Way'' speaks to students' ability to take charge of 
their lives as they learn and grow, as well as to lead and inspire 
others. It is also fitting as an allusion to the innovation and focus 
on the future that have been a hallmark of Wake Tech programs and 
services for the last 50 years.
  I extend my congratulations to Wake Technical Community College on 
their fiftieth anniversary and look forward to the 50 years to come!

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