[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 112 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               LEE RASCH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2017

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues the work of Lee Rasch, who is retiring at the end of this 
month as president of Western Technical College in Wisconsin. There is 
an old saying, ``Think Globally, Act Locally.'' No saying better 
reflects the work of Lee.
   For twenty-eight years, Lee has led Western, working in a collective 
manner with governmental and business leaders in the eleven (11) 
county, three campus region to expand workforce development 
opportunities and enhance job skills training to students who were 
comprised of recent high school graduates to those who were recently 
unemployed. With a mannerism of respect and understanding, Lee led the 
college with a style that emphasized listening, learning and 
collaboration. Under his leadership, Western continued to grow and 
evolve, working with employers to identify programs and courses that 
grow the economies of our region and state, while also ensuring that 
the students have the skills they need to meet the ever-changing 
demands of the workplace.
   Lee's leadership at Western emphasized community engagement. As 
such, he contributed a significant amount of his time and effort to 
improve the economic vitality of downtown La Crosse and the greater 
Coulee Region. La Crosse and western Wisconsin were not the only 
communities where Lee made an impact. As the La Crosse Tribune wrote in 
an article in December 2016 when they named him the 2016 Tribune Person 
of the Year: ``He has been instrumental in building the sister city 
relationship between La Crosse and Kumbo, Cameroon, after a chance 
encounter with a member of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis at 
Western.'' His efforts have led to greater educational training and the 
improvement of nearly a dozen rural schools near Kumbo. Lee's love of 
education has improved the lives of people at the local and global 
level.
   I congratulate Lee Rasch for his work. I wish him and his wife, 
Susan Fox, much joy and happiness in a well-deserved retirement. The 
people, businesses and communities in western Wisconsin, Kumbo, 
Cameroon, and countless others are better off as a result of your work.

                          ____________________