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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives congratulate Lewis and Clark Community College
4 in Godfrey on the occasion of its 35th anniversary; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The College's President is Dr. Dale T. Chapman and
6 the Trustees are Chairman Robert Watson, Chris Ringhausen,
7 Walter Ahlemeyer, Ed Hightower, Brenda McCain, George Milnor,
8 Steve Cousley, and Student Trustee Candice Witt; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The College began operations in 1970 on a
10 135-year-old campus of what was previously known as Monticello
11 College, an institution whose rich heritage dates back to 1838;
12 occupying 215 acres of manicured lawns and majestic trees, the
13 College is housed in several stately buildings, most of which
14 were built from the limestone that is native to the area; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The College provides educational services to all
16 or parts of seven counties in southwestern Illinois,
17 encompassing 1,800 square miles; geographically, the district
18 is approximately 80 percent rural, however, 72 percent of the
19 district's residents live in the urban area of Madison County;
20 and
 
21     WHEREAS, The College has received the highest
22 accreditation possible from the North Central Association of
23 Colleges and Secondary Schools and was awarded the
24 Institutional Quality Award by the State of Illinois; the
25 Illinois Community College Board has presented Lewis and Clark
26 its Award for Excellence, the Board's most prestigious award,
27 in the fields of Workforce Preparation and Learning-Centered
28 Instruction; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Lewis and Clark has experienced tremendous growth
30 in terms of enrollment, academic programs, services, and

 

 

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1 buildings; one of the challenges in developing new programs and
2 facilities comes in controlling costs while expanding
3 services; the College has successfully maintained a balanced
4 budget for 35 years while seeing enrollment climb from 440
5 students in 1970 to more than 7,500 in the current semester;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, The College continues to focus its efforts on
8 helping residents stay abreast of an everchanging job market
9 and technological changes that affect their lives; the
10 development of the new N.O. Nelson Campus in Edwardsville
11 involves renovating an industrial site that was developed in
12 the 1800s; it will enable the College to broaden its career,
13 transfer, and adult education courses as the College strives to
14 continually develop new partnerships and alliances with
15 business and industry in an effort to offer the essential
16 skills needed for today's workplace; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The Athletics Department has also grown since the
18 original days of Lewis and Clark; today the Trailblazers
19 compete in ten different sports in Division I of the National
20 Junior College Athletics Association and all of the athletes
21 and sports teams continue to find success; in the past year,
22 the women's soccer team took fourth place at the national
23 tournament, the men's basketball team finished seventh in the
24 nation, the women's tennis team earned a trip to the national
25 tournament for the sixth time this spring, and the golf team
26 will once again send one of its most outstanding athletes to
27 the national tournament this spring; on an individual basis,
28 players continue to be recognized on the national level, as
29 many of the athletes have earned the prestigious title of
30 all-American from the NJCAA; and
 
31     WHEREAS, The College continues to serve all populations of
32 the Lewis and Clark District from the business and corporate
33 training programs offered by the Center for Workforce Training,

 

 

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1 to the summer enrichment programs for children offered through
2 the growing College For Kids program; the High School
3 Partnership Program serves more than 2,500 students each year,
4 giving students dual credit and a smooth transition from high
5 school to college; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Lewis and Clark continues to partner with other
7 educational institutions and area businesses to create unique
8 educational programs for residents; one prime example of this
9 is the partnership with the University of Illinois and the
10 Illinois Natural History Survey, which has resulted in the
11 creation of the National Great Rivers Research and Education
12 Center; the NGRREC will serve as an international site for
13 rivers research and will affect both the academics and the
14 economics of the region in the years to come; and
 
15     WHEREAS, While the College has accumulated numerous awards
16 and acknowledgements during the past 35 years for excellent
17 programs, faculty, staff, and students, there is still much to
18 accomplish in the future; the College appreciates the
19 community's support over the past 35 years and its continued
20 encouragement in educational endeavors in the next 35 years;
21 therefore, be it
 
22     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
23 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
24 we congratulate Lewis and Clark Community College for 35 years
25 of excellence and dedication; and be it further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to Lewis and Clark College as an expression of our
28 esteem.