House Resolution 39 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2            BY  HEDDENS and WESSEL=KROESCHELL
  1  3 A Resolution recognizing the federal Morrill
  1  4    Act and celebrating the renovation of Morrill
  1  5    Hall at Iowa State University.
  1  6    WHEREAS, the federal Morrill Act, sponsored by
  1  7 United States Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont and
  1  8 signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, was the
  1  9 most important federal legislative act for higher
  1 10 education of the 19th century, giving states like Iowa
  1 11 the means to provide affordable higher education
  1 12 opportunities to every citizen; and
  1 13    WHEREAS, Senator Morrill stated that "[t]he
  1 14 land=grant colleges were founded on the idea that a
  1 15 higher and broader education should be placed in every
  1 16 State within the reach of those whose destiny assigns
  1 17 them to, or who may have the courage to choose ...
  1 18 locations where the wealth of nations is produced,
  1 19 where advanced civilization unfolds its comforts, and
  1 20 where a much larger number of the people need wider
  1 21 educational advantages, and impatiently await their
  1 22 possession"; and
  1 23    WHEREAS, in 1862, the great State of Iowa became
  1 24 the first state to accept the terms of the Morrill
  1 25 Act; and
  1 26    WHEREAS, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and
  1 27 Mechanic Arts founded in 1858 and now the Iowa State
  1 28 University of Science and Technology became, in 1864,
  1 29 the first institution in the United States designated
  1 30 as a land=grant institution; and
  2  1    WHEREAS, 215 institutions are now members of the
  2  2 National Association of State Universities and
  2  3 Land=Grant Colleges, educating nearly 3 million
  2  4 students located in all 50 states; and
  2  5    WHEREAS, Morrill Hall at Iowa State University,
  2  6 since its construction in 1891, has stood as a proud
  2  7 symbol honoring Senator Morrill and honoring Iowa's
  2  8 commitment to public higher education; and
  2  9    WHEREAS, more than 2,700 private donors contributed
  2 10 more than $7.4 million and Iowa's taxpayers
  2 11 contributed almost $2.8 million of the $10.2 million
  2 12 cost to renovate Morrill Hall; and
  2 13    WHEREAS, Morrill Hall, after a two=year renovation,
  2 14 will now continue its service in fulfilling Iowa State
  2 15 University's land=grant mission of teaching, research,
  2 16 and outreach by housing the Center for Excellence in
  2 17 Learning and Teaching, the Center for Textiles and
  2 18 Clothing, three modern classrooms, and the
  2 19 world=renowned Christian Petersen Art Collection; and
  2 20    WHEREAS, the rededication of Morrill Hall begins a
  2 21 yearlong celebration of Iowa State University's
  2 22 sesquicentennial; NOW THEREFORE,
  2 23    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2 24 That the House of Representatives recognizes and
  2 25 honors the achievements of the federal Morrill Act in
  2 26 making higher education available to millions of
  2 27 Americans over the past century and a half; and
  2 28    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of
  2 29 Representatives applauds the completion of the
  2 30 renovation of Morrill Hall as an important symbol of
  3  1 the commitment of the State of Iowa to the ideals of
  3  2 the land=grant colleges and universities; and
  3  3    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of
  3  4 Representatives thanks the taxpayers of Iowa and the
  3  5 more than 2,700 private donors who have given of their
  3  6 own resources to renovate Morrill Hall and return it
  3  7 to the people of Iowa as an important education
  3  8 facility.
  3  9 LSB 2877HH 82
  3 10 jr:rj/je/5.3