A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring east carolina university on the university's centennial anniversary.

Whereas, the people of North Carolina are deeply indebted to the North Carolina General Assembly of 1907 and other leaders of a century ago whose great vision created East Carolina Teachers Training School on March 8, 1907; and
Whereas, during the groundbreaking for the first building for the East Carolina Teachers Training School on July 2, 1908, Governor Thomas Jordan Jarvis, made the prophetic comment, "We can never begin to calculate the value it will be to North Carolina"; and
Whereas, East Carolina Teachers Training School opened its doors on October 5, 1909, with a faculty of seven women and three men and an enrollment of 104 women and 19 men; and
Whereas, Robert Herring Wright served as the school's first president; and
Whereas, on March 8, 1911, the General Assembly gave the school broader authority and flexibility with regards to its curriculum; and
Whereas, on June 8, 1911, the first graduating class received their diplomas; and
Whereas, in 1916, the school chose the colors of Old Gold and Royal Purple and the motto of "Servire," meaning "to serve"; and
Whereas, in 1920, the General Assembly amended the school's charter allowing for a four‑year curriculum; and
Whereas, on December 19, 1921, the General Assembly enacted legislation changing the name of the school to East Carolina Teachers College and authorized the school to award the Bachelor of Arts degree in education; and
Whereas, in August 1922, East Carolina Teachers College conferred its first baccalaureate degrees, and in 1929, the school's trustees approved the awarding of the Master of Arts degree; and
Whereas, in 1951, the General Assembly approved a name change to East Carolina College to reflect the changing nature of the curriculum and the degrees awarded by the institution; and
Whereas, by the late 1950s, East Carolina College had become the State's third largest campus and was the fastest growing institution in North Carolina; and
Whereas, in the fall of 1963, the first full‑time African‑American student enrolled without incident at East Carolina College and graduated in 1966; and
Whereas, by 1967, East Carolina College had the largest college enrollment in the South and one of the largest enrollments in the nation; and
Whereas, legislation creating East Carolina University passed on June 29, 1967, creating an independent regional university in Greenville; and
Whereas, in 1972, East Carolina University became a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina system; and
Whereas, in 1974, the General Assembly gave approval of the establishment of a four‑year medical school at East Carolina University, and in 1981, the first class of medical students graduated with Doctor of Medicine degrees; and
Whereas, in 1983, East Carolina University conferred its first Doctor of Philosophy degree; and
Whereas, in 1997, East Carolina University achieved status as a "Doctoral II" level institution; and
Whereas, East Carolina University has become the State's leader in distance education enrolling more than 5,000 students in distance education classes; and
Whereas, East Carolina University's online MBA and computer science degree programs were ranked number one nationally and its education degree program third by GetEducated.com, and all three degree programs were deemed "Best Buys" by the same group; and
Whereas, East Carolina University has the largest enrollment in several key professional programs in the State that address major State needs, including education, allied health, nursing, and hospitality management; and
Whereas, East Carolina University's arts program is one of the largest and most distinguished on the east coast and has produced a number of nationally recognized artists who have earned coveted awards, including Emmys and Grammys; and
Whereas, three East Carolina University graduates have either individually or as part of a group been awarded a Pulitzer Prize; and
Whereas, in April 2006, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Brody School of Medicine in the top 10 medical schools in the nation in three categories, including 6th in primary care, 7th in rural medicine, and 9th in family medicine; and
Whereas, East Carolina University ranks in the top 10 in five categories in the Milliken Institute report that scores universities around the world on technology transfer. For every $1 million in research, the university ranks 3rd in the number of patents issued, 6th in the number of inventions disclosed, 6th in the number of start-up companies formed, 8th in the number of patents filed, and 9th in the ratio of patents issued to patents filed. Among East Carolina University's best known inventions is the SpeechEasy device that helps stutterers speak more fluently; and
Whereas, East Carolina University's athletic department established a tradition of excellence beginning in 1941 when the football team finished its season with a record of 7‑0 and was one of only 13 teams in the nation to go undefeated; and
Whereas, in 1966, the football team won its first conference championship as a member of the Southern Conference; and
Whereas, in 1990, the baseball team finished its season as the National Collegiate Athletic Association's statistical champion with a 47‑9 record; and
Whereas, in 1993, the Pirates won their first national bowl game with a 37‑34 victory over North Carolina State University during the Peach Bowl and earned a 9th place ranking in the nation; and
Whereas, East Carolina University became a member of Conference‑USA for all intercollegiate sports, and in 2002, the baseball team claimed its first Conference‑USA title; and
Whereas, each year more than 8,000 East Carolina University students contribute in excess of 100,000 hours of voluntary service to more than 125 community health and human service organizations located in Greenville; and
Whereas, East Carolina University's annual contribution to the local economy is approximately $2 billion; and
Whereas, for 100 years East Carolina University has held steadily to the ideals of academic integrity cherished by its founders, trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and students; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly recognizes and honors the founders of East Carolina University for their vision, commends the University for its contributions to North Carolina and its people, extends congratulations on the institution's centennial anniversary, and looks forward to a second century of service by the University on behalf of the people of North Carolina and the nation.
SECTION 2.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the President of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and to the Chancellor of East Carolina University.
SECTION 3.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 12th day of March, 2007.

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		 Marc Basnight
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

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		 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives