[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1793-S1794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 438--COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                        UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Ms. Harris) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 438

       Whereas Congress enacted the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly 
     known as the ``First Morrill Act'') (12 Stat. 503, chapter 
     130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), to allow for the establishment of 
     land-grant colleges offering programs teaching agriculture 
     and the mechanic arts;
       Whereas on March 23, 1868, the State of California enacted 
     the Organic Act, which--
       (1) established the University of California (referred to 
     in this preamble as the ``University''); and
       (2) entrusted the organization and government of the 
     University to a corporate body entitled the Regents of the 
     University;
       Whereas in 1869 the University opened in Oakland, 
     California, and had an inaugural class of 40 students and 10 
     faculty members;
       Whereas, since 1869, the University has grown to include a 
     total of 10 campuses in the following cities: San Francisco; 
     Berkeley; Davis; Los Angeles; Santa Barbara; Riverside; San 
     Diego; Santa Cruz; Irvine; and Merced;
       Whereas, as of 2018, the University has more than 273,000 
     enrolled students and employs more than 223,300 faculty, 
     staff, and other academics;
       Whereas the University has graduated more than 2,000,000 
     living alumni;
       Whereas in 1870 the University decreed that the University 
     would admit women and men equally;
       Whereas the University has 5 academic medical centers, 
     which include 6 medical schools, 12 public hospitals, and 18 
     health professional schools;
       Whereas the University is affiliated with--
       (1) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, since 1931;
       (2) Los Alamos National Laboratory, since 1943; and
       (3) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, since 1952;
       Whereas these 3 national laboratories are--
       (1) working to create advanced new tools for scientific 
     discovery;
       (2) enabling transformational solutions for health and the 
     environment;
       (3) enhancing the defense of the United States while 
     reducing the global threat from terrorism; and
       (4) addressing other emerging national security and energy 
     challenges;
       Whereas, due to the commitment of the University to 
     diversity and to providing access to higher education to all 
     qualified students in the State of California, the University 
     currently enrolls the highest number of resident 
     undergraduates in the history of the University;
       Whereas the faculty of the University is internationally 
     renowned for scholarly and scientific achievements, and has 
     helped maintain the prestige and quality of education of the 
     University during decades of social and technological change;
       Whereas in 1939 University professor E. O. Lawrence 
     received the first Nobel Prize of the University for 
     inventing the cyclotron;
       Whereas 61 faculty members associated with the University 
     have won Nobel Prizes;
       Whereas the faculty and alumni of the University include 
     hundreds of MacArthur ``Genius'' grant winners, Pulitzer 
     Prize winners,

[[Page S1794]]

     Fulbright Award recipients, National Medal of Science 
     winners, prominent policy makers, athletes, and thespians;
       Whereas the University established the fields of nuclear 
     physics and biotechnology, revolutionized agriculture, and 
     helped the movie industry mature;
       Whereas the University, through faculty and alumni, 
     continues to drive technological innovation and actively 
     partners with private industry; and
       Whereas the University continues to address the most 
     pressing issues in the world: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the University of California (referred to 
     in this resolving clause as the ``University'') on the 150th 
     anniversary of the founding of the University;
       (2) recognizes and celebrates the 150 years of history, 
     legacy, and achievements of the University;
       (3) recognizes the achievements of all of the 
     administrators, professors, students, and staff members who 
     have contributed to the success of the University;
       (4) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to ensuring 
     access to a quality and affordable higher education across 
     the United States; and
       (5) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the President of the University; and
       (B) the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic 
     Affairs of the University.

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
that honors one of the most venerable institutions in our State: the 
University of California.
  The resolution before us commemorates the one hundred and fiftieth 
anniversary of the founding of the University of California, a 
noteworthy milestone that must be celebrated by recognizing all of the 
achievements. I would like to thank my dear friend, Senator Harris, for 
joining me and supporting this endeavor.
  Throughout its history, the University of California has become a 
foundation, and a beacon of hope, for the State of California and the 
Nation as a whole. It embraces the same spirit and tenacity that 
defines our great State.
  The University of California has grown from one campus in Berkeley to 
a system of 10 top-ranked universities, five notable and top-notch 
academic medical centers, and three affiliated National Laboratories, 
all impacting far reaches of the State.
  We should recognize the University of California for what it is: the 
finest and most accessible public university system in this country. It 
was established on the premise that college is for everyone and 
designed with every Californian in mind. That is why the University of 
California's Board of Regents in 1870 decreed that women be admitted 
equally with men, 50 years before the adoption of the Nineteenth 
Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
  Diversity has always been a cornerstone of the University of 
California. Because of its progressive and forward-thinking ways, 
notable alumni include Jackie Robinson, who shattered the Major League 
Baseball's color barrier; Sally Ride, the first American woman in 
space; and the countless number of students and faculty members who are 
the first generation in their families to attend college.
  Today, the University of California has more than 273,000 enrolled 
students and employs more than 223,300 faculty, staff, and other 
academics. It has graduated more than two million living alumni.
  The University of California is also a national leader in scientific 
discovery and medical advancement, enabling transformational solutions 
for healthcare and the environment, enhancing our Nation's defense 
while reducing the global threat from terrorism, and addressing other 
emerging national security and energy challenges. It established itself 
in the fields of nuclear physics and biotechnology, revolutionized 
agriculture, and helped the movie industry mature, all of which are now 
multi-billion-dollar industries. Through its faculty and alumni, the 
University continues to drive technological innovation and actively 
partner with the private sector.
  Mr. President, before I yield the floor, I would like to end with a 
small anecdote. Every year in our household, we always look forward to 
the ``Big Game.'' For the uninitiated, this is the biggest college 
football game of the year: the Stanford Cardinal versus the California 
Golden Bears. This is the oldest college football rivalry in the West, 
which began in 1892, and still continues to this day. I do not hold it 
against those who attended Berkeley, but I will be happy to gloat when 
my Cardinal beat the Bears. I am not one to boast, but it must be noted 
that Stanford has won more ``Big Games'' than Berkeley.
  All quips aside, as we commemorate this momentous occasion in the 
storied history that is the University of California, we must remember 
the past and present, with an eye towards the future. The challenges 
before it are great, but the potential that lies within itself is even 
greater. I know and believe that the University of California will 
continue to push boundaries, explore the great unknown, stand up for 
American values, and continue to solve the world's most complex 
problems. Here is to another exceptional 150 years.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________