HR 9005 2004
1	House Resolution
2	A resolution honoring Dr. Gwen Stephenson.
3
4	WHEREAS, after her appointment to the presidency of
5	Hillsborough Community College in 1997, Dr. Gwen Stephenson has
6	led the institution in an enrollment growth of approximately 10
7	percent per year for the past 3 years, a dramatic turnaround
8	from the declining enrollments of the prior 5 years, and
9	WHEREAS, Dr. Stephenson and her administrative staff have
10	established strong partnerships with the business community, the
11	University of South Florida, the School District of Hillsborough
12	County, and the Florida Legislature, and a recent study relating
13	to the economic impact of HCC indicates that business sales in
14	the Tampa Bay area are $1.9 billion higher and labor income is
15	$757 million greater because of the presence of the college, and
16	WHEREAS, HCC prepares the region's residents for jobs
17	central to nearly every business and governmental entity through
18	its offering of associate degrees, technical training, and, when
19	required, remediation, as well as a diversity of courses ranging
20	from international education, e-technology, advanced vocational
21	training, and aquacultural and agricultural studies, and
22	WHEREAS, in addition to four current campus locations and
23	an anticipated fifth, Dr. Stephenson has established centers of
24	learning throughout the area, including those within underserved
25	communities, and, in an effort to increase minority enrollment,
26	has successfully implemented programs that target African-
27	American and Hispanic males, and
28	WHEREAS, in April 2003, Dr. Stephenson was selected from
29	among 27 nominees as the American Student Association of
30	Community Colleges "President of the Year," recognized for her
31	inclusion of student groups in her calendar, on most committees,
32	and in her own personal advisory group, NOW, THEREFORE,
33
34	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
35	Florida:
36
37	That the House of Representatives salutes Dr. Gwen
38	Stephenson as one of Hillsborough County's consummate role
39	models who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in
40	establishing Hillsborough Community College as a major
41	contributor to the education of the county's residents, while
42	engaging students, faculty and staff, and the public and private
43	sectors as collaborators in attaining stability and garnering
44	statewide respect.
45	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
46	presented to Dr. Gwen Stephenson as a tangible token of the
47	sentiments expressed herein.