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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
20-160
In the Council of the District of Columbia
January 7, 2014
To honor Gallaudet University, the nation’s premiere institution of higher education for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and to recognize the university’s unparalleled impact on higher education.
WHEREAS, in 1856, philanthropist and former postmaster general Amos Kendall donated land on his estate in northeast Washington, D.C. for a place to educate the city’s deaf youth, and, 8 years later, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorized by the U.S. Congress for the institution to grant college degrees;
WHEREAS, theology graduate Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was inspired to dedicate his life to educating deaf people after tutoring Alice Cogswell, a 9-year-old deaf neighbor, and traveled to France, where he learned a manual communication method of instruction developed by renowned French educators Abbe Sicard, Laurent Clerc, and Jean Massieu;
WHEREAS, upon returning to the United States, Gallaudet established the American School for the Deaf, the nation’s first permanent school for deaf children, in Hartford, Connecticut;
WHEREAS, in 1857, Gallaudet's youngest son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, took up his father's cause when he and his deaf mother, Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, were invited by Kendall to run the newly established Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind in Washington, D.C., and with Kendall's resources and Gallaudet's leadership and vision, the fledgling school grew and flourished, expanding to provide instruction for aspiring teachers of the deaf and to became the world's first—and today retains the status of the only—institution of higher education devoted to deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and to hearing students who pursue careers as professionals serving the deaf community;
WHEREAS, in 1969, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Model Secondary School for the Deaf Act (“MSSD”), and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and Gallaudet President Leonard Elstad signed an agreement authorizing the establishment and operation of the MSSD on the Gallaudet campus.
WHEREAS, in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a bill to authorize the establishment of Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, (along with MSSD, a component of Gallaudet's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center), devoted to the creation and dissemination of educational opportunities for deaf students nationwide;
WHEREAS, by an act of the U.S. Congress, Gallaudet was granted university status in October 1986, and in March 1988 the Deaf President Now (“DPN”) movement led to the appointment of the university's first deaf president, Dr. I. King Jordan, and the Board of Trustees' first deaf chair, Philip Bravin;
WHEREAS, DPN has become synonymous with self-determination and empowerment for deaf and hard-of-hearing people everywhere;
WHEREAS, in the 1990s, a generous contribution from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation enabled the university to construct the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University, which has become a popular venue for meetings, seminars, receptions, and Ward 5 community events;
WHEREAS, the new millennium has brought events such as the Deaf Way II festival, the opening of the technology-rich I. King Jordan Student Academic Center, and the James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center–a unique facility that provides an inclusive learning environment compatible with the visu-centric "deaf way of being”;
WHEREAS, Gallaudet's undergraduate students can choose from more than 40 majors leading to bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degrees, and students can enroll in graduate and certificate programs, leading to master of arts, master of science, doctoral, and specialist degrees in a variety of fields involving professional service to deaf and hard-of-hearing people;
WHEREAS, through the University Career center, students receive internships that provide a wealth of experiential learning opportunities, including placements in Council of the District of Columbia offices;
WHEREAS, today Gallaudet is viewed by deaf and hearing people alike as a primary resource for all things related to deaf and hard-of-hearing people, including educational and career opportunities; open communication and visual learning; deaf history and culture; American Sign Language; and the impact of technology on the deaf community;
WHEREAS, among other accomplishments, the Gallaudet Bison finished the 2013 season with a 9-2 record and a 6-1 mark in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (“ECFC”) play, won their first ECFC championship since the conference formed in 2009, won 9 games to start the season (the best start to a season in the program’s history), carried an 11-game winning streak (the longest in team history) into the final game of the regular season, and the Entertainment and Sports Programing Network also featured their accomplishments on SportsCenter;
WHEREAS, Gallaudet’s 150th year theme is “Gallaudet University: Celebrating 150 Years of Visionary Leadership”, and this theme will guide decisions on all activities planned in recognition of Gallaudet University’s sesquicentennial; and
WHEREAS, Gallaudet’s anniversary goals are as follows: to honor its years of academic excellence and use this milestone to launch new initiatives, discussions, and partnerships leading the university forward; to emphasize that Gallaudet is first and foremost a university in which academic discourse plays a central role; to recognize the university’s unique place in deaf history; to acknowledge and celebrate both the continuity and the change the campus has seen, including Gallaudet University’s progression towards greater diversity of people and ideas; to demonstrate Gallaudet’s impact on the world and underscore the university’s leadership role on the local, national, and international level; and to highlight the continuous support of Gallaudet’s alumni and collaborations with the Gallaudet University Alumni Association.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Gallaudet University 150th Anniversary Recognition Resolution of 2014”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Gallaudet University on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and its unwavering commitment to educational excellence.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
