[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 53 (Thursday, March 24, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E292-E293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF TAFT COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 2022

  Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of Taft College and recognize the profound contribution the 
school has made to our community over the last century.
  Established on August 30, 1922, Taft College emerged from humble 
beginnings. Sharing a campus with Taft Union High School at the time, 
Taft College enrolled 10 students in its first year of operation. As 
one of only 15 community colleges in California in the early 1920s, the 
Taft Union High School District Board--the founders of Taft College--
envisioned that the school would transform the region by offering local 
students unprecedented access to higher education. Since then, the 
school has done just that, producing leaders in business, law, nursing, 
education, athletics, and public service.
  Today, Taft College is bustling, operating its own independent campus 
of nearly 40 acres and its enrollment has grown to 2,400 students. With 
an average class size of 18 students, students may enroll in any of the 
43 degree and 30 certificate programs offered at Taft College and 
receive high-quality instruction in fields of study ranging from 
Liberal Arts to Engineering in small group settings.
  Throughout the past century, Taft has proven itself as a leader among 
community colleges. In 1995, the school created the Transition to 
Independent Living (TIL) Program and in 1997, pioneered a distance 
learning program. The TIL Program is a two-year, post-secondary 
educational program that provides training and support for students 
with developmental or intellectual disabilities and helps prepare them 
to lead confident, self-sufficient lives. Taft College's innovative, 
first-of-its-kind distance learning program offers greater flexibility 
to students pursuing a degree while balancing additional priorities at 
work and in life. Both programs have garnered respect and accolades 
from educational leaders within and beyond the Taft community.
  Taft College's success and the critical role that it plays in 
uplifting individuals throughout California's Central Valley are 
undeniable. I am confident that Taft College will continue to

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further its long legacy of instilling a passion for learning in its 
students and the Taft community. On behalf of the 23rd Congressional 
District of California, it is my honor to share the history of Taft 
College, celebrate the school's centennial anniversary, and commemorate 
its enduring contributions to our community.

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