[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5693-5694]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the 50th 
anniversary of Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, MT, and 
to honor the many contributions that FVCC has made in northwest 
Montana.
  In 1967, Dr. Larry Blake was hired as the first president of FVCC, 
and months later, he opened the doors to 611 students who made up the 
very first class.
  Fifty years later, over 3,500 students are enrolled in FVCC and 
studying more than 100 degree and certificate programs.
  The campus today is unrecognizable to those who studied at its 
original downtown location, and in recent years, I have seen the new 
campus boom with the construction of additional education facilities, 
laboratories, and campus housing.
  In 2001, Jane Karas was hired as the 11th president of FVCC, and she 
has been instrumental in the growth of the region's largest higher 
education institution.
  Under Jane Karas's leadership, FVCC has expanded the nursing school 
and developed a renowned culinary school that has helped meet the 
growing demand for jobs in the communities that lay in the shadow of 
Glacier National Park.
  In addition to serving thousands of students in Kalispell, FVCC 
operates a satellite campus an hour away in Libby, MT.
  Over the past 50 years, FVCC has made a profound impact in Montana, 
and I join all of the Montanans who can't wait to see what they have in 
store for the next 50 years.

[[Page 5694]]



                          ____________________