[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 103 (Wednesday, June 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3836-S3837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                        TRIBUTE TO MIKE MONAGHAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1901, superintendent of Joliet Township 
High School J. Stanley Brown and University of Chicago president 
William Rainey Harper committed themselves to an historic experiment. 
They founded Joliet Junior College, the Nation's first public community 
college with six students as the initial enrollment. Brown and Harper 
designed the school for students who wanted to remain in the community, 
but also wanted to pursue a college education.
  The community college system is vastly different than Harper and 
Brown's initial work today. Community colleges are helping millions of 
Americans carve a pathway to middle-class prosperity and a chance to 
fulfill the American Dream.
  Earlier this month, Mike Monaghan, a champion of Illinois community 
colleges with more than 40 years of legislative and higher education 
experience, retired from the Illinois Community College Trustees 
Association. During his time there, he worked hard to make sure 
Illinois has some of the finest colleges in the country. Mike will 
certainly be missed.
  Originally from Springfield, he earned an associate arts degree from 
Lincoln Land Community College, a bachelor's degree in political 
science from Bradley University, and a master's degree in legal studies 
and administrative law from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
  I have known Mike for decades from our days as staffers in the 
Illinois State Senate. Mike was fighting for improving education in the 
State as the principal staff to the State senate's higher education 
committee when I was legal counsel to the State senate judiciary 
committee. He also was my neighbor, living a block away from me. I 
might add Mike also was a precinct captain for a couple of my races, 
too.
  In 1989, Mike became the Illinois Community College Trustees 
Associations director of government relations. In this role, he 
developed a statewide advocacy program and regularly organized trips to 
Washington, DC, with students. One of his major efforts was the 
successful implementation of a State insurance program for community 
college retirees. In 1998, the Illinois Society of Association 
Executives awarded him with their Government Relations Award for the 
program.
  Mike's hard work led him to become the ICCTA's executive director in 
2005. For the past 14 years, he has continued fighting for resources 
for community colleges. He earned the Cook County College Teachers 
Union 2008 Innovation in Education Award for his leadership in 
promoting community colleges.
  When community colleges are not funded properly, the costs fall on 
students. When Mike started, some remarked that community colleges were 
13th and 14th year schooling and dismissed them as ``Tinker Toy Tech.'' 
This is certainly not the case today.
  Today, 35,000 students are enrolled at Joliet Junior College, and 
Illinois has 519,000 students enrolled in community colleges. More and 
more students know community colleges are one of the best investments 
in education for students and are the best alternative in the 
competitive college marketplace.
  Americans hold more than $1.4 trillion in student debt, making it the 
largest household debt after mortgages. Community colleges, with low 
tuition rates and quality educational programs, are a key to breaking 
the debt stranglehold of our current higher education system.

[[Page S3837]]

  I want to take this time to honor Mike for his hard work in making 
Illinois one of the top community college States. The future of William 
Rainey Harper and J. Stanley Brown's experiment looks bright because of 
Mike's work. We thank him for his service and look forward to his next 
chapter in life.

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