Bill Text: IL HR1546 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Congratulates Waubonsee Community College on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2016.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-01-09 - Resolution Adopted [HR1546 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR1546-Introduced.html

---

HR1546 LRB099 23831 GRL 51351 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate Waubonsee Community
College on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding
in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Waubonsee Community College, a two-year public
institution of higher learning, came into existence in August
of 1966, when the electorate of 12 school districts in most of
Kane and portions of Kendall, DeKalb, LaSalle, and Will
Counties voted to establish Community College District 516; and
WHEREAS, From the beginning, the philosophy of Waubonsee
Community College has been that education is the cornerstone of
a literate, democratic society, that learning is a lifelong
process, and that the pursuit of knowledge must be supported by
institutional policies demonstrating accessibility, service,
quality, innovation, and value; and
WHEREAS, Waubonsee Community College truly began taking
shape in early 1967, when its first president took office and
subsequently began assembling a staff, developing a
multi-level curriculum, and locating classroom space; in March
of 1967, in order to give the college a suitable name, the
school called upon its community through a district-wide naming

HR1546 - 2 - LRB099 23831 GRL 51351 r
contest; from among the 600 entries, Susan Miller of Aurora and
Patricia Ann Dillon of Batavia suggested Waubonsee, a
Pottawatomie Native American chief who lived in the Fox River
Valley during the 1800s, so the Fox Valley Community College
officially became Waubonsee Community College; and
WHEREAS, Waubonsee Community College had a permanent name
but not a permanent campus; when the college opened its doors
for classes on September 11, 1967, the doors were those of a
variety of community facilities; the school had an initial
enrollment of 1,603 students, 403 full-time and 1,200
part-time; in December of 1967, a successful bond referendum
allowed the college to begin planning its first permanent
campus; the campus, situated on a 243-acre tract of land north
of Sugar Grove on Route 47, still serves as the main campus; a
second Waubonsee campus opened in 1986 in downtown Aurora at
the corner of Galena Boulevard and Stolp Avenue, which ceased
operations in May of 2011; and
WHEREAS, In June of 2011, Waubonsee Community College moved
its downtown campus to a new 132,000-square-foot facility at 18
South River Street, while the Aurora Downtown Campus remains
the headquarters for Workforce Development, Adult Education,
GED, English as a Second Language, and the Adult Literacy
Project; Waubonsee established another major extension in
January of 1997 on the Rush-Copley Medical Center campus, which

HR1546 - 3 - LRB099 23831 GRL 51351 r
was renovated and renamed the Aurora Fox Valley Campus in the
summer of 2016; in the spring of 2011, courses began at a
fourth permanent campus in Plano; classes are also held at
nearly 16 other extension sites throughout the district; and
WHEREAS, In accordance with the Waubonsee Community
College 2020 College Master Plan, five building projects were
completed at the Sugar Grove Campus: the Campus Operations
facility, which opened in August of 2005; the new Science
Building, which opened during the Fall 2006 semester; the
Academic and Professional Center, which held classes for the
first time in the fall of 2007; the Student Center, which
opened in the spring of 2009; and the Field House, which opened
in the spring of 2015; and
WHEREAS, Waubonsee Community College has always been a
leader in distance learning; the college was a founding member
of the Illinois Virtual Campus and has provided courses to
students statewide through Illinois Community Colleges Online;
the college offers nearly 200 online courses and delivers
fully-accredited associate degrees and certificates to
students on an online platform; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
congratulate Waubonsee Community College on the occasion of the

HR1546 - 4 - LRB099 23831 GRL 51351 r
50th anniversary of its founding in 2016 and wish the college
continued success in the future; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Waubonsee Community College as a symbol of our
esteem and respect.