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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A delegation from Paul Quinn College in Dallas is |
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visiting Austin on March 26, 2019, in celebration of Paul Quinn |
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College Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1872, preachers from the African Methodist |
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Episcopal Church established Paul Quinn College in Austin to |
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educate the formerly enslaved and their children; a few years |
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later, the school moved to Waco, and in 1990, it relocated again to |
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southern Dallas, where it has become a prototype for urban higher |
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education under the leadership of President Michael Sorrell; and |
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WHEREAS, Paul Quinn College today is a private, faith-based, |
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liberal arts institution for students of all races and |
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socioeconomic backgrounds; designated in 2017 by the |
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U.S. Department of Education as the nation's ninth Work College, it |
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has developed the "Urban Work College Model" to expand opportunity |
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by combining higher education with access to quality jobs, secure |
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housing, and reduced student loan burden; since the implementation |
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of the program, the school has decreased tuition and fees by almost |
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$10,000, lowered the average debt of graduates by more than |
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$30,000, and significantly improved retention and graduation |
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rates; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2018, the college launched an initiative that |
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allows students to spend the academic year living and attending |
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classes in Plano, where they will gain experience working for such |
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industry giants as Liberty Mutual, FedEx, and JPMorgan Chase; the |
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school also broke ground on its campus for a 40,000-square-foot |
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multipurpose building with student housing, classrooms, office |
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space, a gymnasium, and a dance studio; and |
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WHEREAS, Higher education is evolving to meet the challenges |
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of the 21st century, and Paul Quinn College has become a beacon of |
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innovation and promise for its student population and for the wider |
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community; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 26, 2019, as Paul Quinn College |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation |
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sincere best wishes for a productive and memorable stay in Austin. |