[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16085]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 293--COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF MORGAN 
                            STATE UNIVERSITY

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 293

       Whereas, on November 27, 2017, Morgan State University 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``University''), located 
     in Baltimore, Maryland, will celebrate the 150th anniversary 
     of the first academic year of the University and Founders 
     Day;
       Whereas the University was envisioned by African-American 
     pastors in the Washington Conference of the Methodist 
     Episcopal Church, and officially founded by white pastors in 
     the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church;
       Whereas the University was incorporated on November 27, 
     1867, as the Centenary Biblical Institute, in celebration of 
     the centennial anniversary of Methodism in the United States;
       Whereas the University was established with a modest budget 
     of $5,000 to train for the ministry males who were former 
     slaves and freedmen;
       Whereas the first classes of the University were held in 
     the basement lecture hall of Sharp Street Methodist Episcopal 
     Church in Baltimore on April 30, 1867, with a class of 9 
     students and 1 teacher;
       Whereas the University admitted the first female students 
     to the University during the 1874-75 academic year and 
     amended the charter of the University to train students in 
     teaching as well as in ministry;
       Whereas, in 1886, the University established a branch named 
     Princess Anne Academy on the eastern shore of Maryland;
       Whereas, in 1890, the University was renamed Morgan College 
     in honor of Lyttleton F. Morgan, a long-time board member who 
     was a strong financial supporter of the institution, and was 
     authorized to offer bachelor's degrees;
       Whereas the first bachelor's degree from the University was 
     awarded in 1895 to George W. F. McMechen, who went on to earn 
     a law degree from Yale University and to distinguish himself 
     as a citizen and civil rights lawyer in Baltimore, Maryland;
       Whereas, in 1893, the University established the second 
     branch of the University, named Virginia Collegiate and 
     Industrial Institute, in Lynchburg, Virginia;
       Whereas, becoming fully accredited in 1925, the University 
     established a strong record in academics, sports, and the 
     promotion of an appreciation for African-American history and 
     culture;
       Whereas the University moved to the present location of the 
     University in northeast Baltimore, and, on the recommendation 
     of the Commission on Higher Education of Negroes in Maryland, 
     which was appointed by the State Legislature, was purchased 
     by the State of Maryland and renamed Morgan State College, 
     thereby becoming the second of only 2 public State-supported 
     liberal arts colleges in Maryland;
       Whereas the University featured a distinguished faculty, 
     expanded the facilities, and developed an outstanding 
     undergraduate curriculum that led the Middle States 
     Association of Colleges and Schools, an accrediting agency, 
     to declare the undergraduate curriculum of the University a 
     model liberal arts program;
       Whereas the graduate program of the University was 
     established in 1965 and the first master's degree from the 
     University was awarded in 1967;
       Whereas, in 1975, the University was granted university 
     status by the Maryland General Assembly and was authorized to 
     offer a doctoral degree;
       Whereas, in 1983, the first doctoral degree from the 
     University was awarded;
       Whereas, in 2004, the choir of the University was declared 
     ``The Best College Choir in the United States'' by Reader's 
     Digest;
       Whereas, in 2007, after a period of phenomenal growth and 
     achievement in academic programs, research, external grants, 
     and public service--an era that many call the Morgan 
     Renaissance--the University was reclassified by the Carnegie 
     Commission on Higher Education as a doctoral research 
     university;
       Whereas, since the 1950s, the University has established a 
     record of winning more Fulbright Awards than any of the 
     Historically Black Colleges and Universities (referred to in 
     this preamble as ``HBCUs'') in the United States;
       Whereas, in 2016, the entire campus of the University was 
     designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for 
     Historic Preservation, making the University the only 
     institution in the United States to have earned that 
     distinction;
       Whereas, after 150 years as an institution, the University 
     has grown--
       (1) from a student body of a modest 7 students to nearly 
     8,000 students;
       (2) from a faculty of 1 to nearly 400 full-time faculty 
     members; and
       (3) from a single-track curriculum in ministry to an 
     institution now offering 48 degree programs at the bachelor's 
     level, 10 at the post-baccalaureate certificate level, 34 at 
     the master's degree level, and 16 at the doctoral level;

       Whereas the University has awarded diplomas, certificates 
     and degrees to more than 51,000 students;
       Whereas the University currently ranks in the top tier of 
     institutions locally and nationally in graduating African 
     Americans at all degree levels, and in fields such as 
     architecture, marketing, nursing, the health professions, 
     communication and journalism, family and consumer sciences, 
     civil engineering, electrical engineering, finance, and 
     industrial engineering;
       Whereas, during the 2017 calendar year, the University is 
     celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the 
     University; and
       Whereas, on September 28-30, 2017, the University hosted on 
     the campus of the University the 8 other HBCUs that also are 
     celebrating their 150th anniversaries, in a United HBCU-9 
     Sesquicentennial Celebration: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) makes note of and celebrates the history, legacy and 
     achievements of Morgan State University;
       (2) applauds Morgan State University for the 150-year 
     devotion to academic excellence and to providing educational 
     opportunities to thousands of students in Maryland, the 
     United States, and the world;
       (3) commends Morgan State University for being named 
     Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University in 
     2017, and for the entire campus of Morgan State University 
     being declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for 
     Historic Preservation;
       (4) recognizes the achievements of all of the 
     administrators, professors, students, and staff members who 
     have contributed to the success of Morgan State University; 
     and
       (5) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the president of Morgan State University; and
       (B) the provost and vice president for academic affairs.

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