Full Text of HR0980 102nd General Assembly
HR0980 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Thomas "Tom" Ramage, | 4 | | Ed.D., on the occasion of his retirement as president of | 5 | | Parkland College, Illinois Community College District #505; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ramage, the fifth president of Parkland | 8 | | College, will retire at the end of the Fall 2022 semester after | 9 | | 15 years as president and 25 years of service to the | 10 | | institution; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The conclusion of Dr. Ramage's career will | 12 | | coincide with Parkland College enrolling its 350,000th student | 13 | | this academic year since its inception in 1966 and its first | 14 | | academic year in 1967; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Under Dr. Ramage's leadership, Parkland College | 16 | | completed a $92 million Campus Master Plan that created six | 17 | | new buildings on campus, adding 250,000 square feet of | 18 | | classrooms, labs, and student services spaces to provide | 19 | | quality education and training facilities for students | 20 | | residing within the 3,000 square mile district; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, During Dr. Ramage's tenure, Parkland College has |
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| 1 | | continued to adapt to the changing needs of industry by | 2 | | acquiring the Institute of Aviation at Willard Airport from | 3 | | the University of Illinois in 2014 and by forming lasting | 4 | | relationships with corporate partners, including Case New | 5 | | Holland, AGCO, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Ford Motor Company, | 6 | | Frasca International, and Kraft, among others; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ramage's oversight has permitted Parkland | 8 | | College to continue leading the Illinois community college | 9 | | system by enrolling more than 350 international students, | 10 | | representing well over 50 countries, each academic year; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ramage's steady leadership and fiscal | 12 | | management have guided Parkland College through a recession, a | 13 | | state budget crisis, and a pandemic; despite these challenges, | 14 | | he ensured Parkland College maintained a balanced budget and a | 15 | | healthy fund balance; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ramage will continue to reside in Champaign | 17 | | County with his wife, Michelle, his son, Colin, his | 18 | | daughter-in-law, Megan, and his grandson, Sean Thomas, as | 19 | | valued members of the community; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Ramage leaves behind a legacy of excellence | 21 | | and has set Parkland College on a trajectory of success; | 22 | | therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate Thomas "Tom" Ramage, Ed.D., on his retirement | 4 | | from Parkland College, thank him for his leadership and | 5 | | service to the institution, and wish him all the best in his | 6 | | future endeavors; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to Dr. Ramage as a symbol of our esteem and resect.
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