WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth J. Minnaert is the only president South Puget Sound Community College has ever known; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert has been president since 1980, serving longer than any other higher education president in Washington; and
     WHEREAS, After 30 years of service to the school, Dr. Minnaert is retiring at the end of the 2006 academic year; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert's leadership, hard work, and innovation has transformed South Puget Sound Community College into a well-respected institution of higher education; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert began his service in 1975 as director of instruction when the school was a small institution known as Olympia Vocational Technical Institute; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert has guided the South Puget Sound Community College's transformation from a small vocational and technical school to a wide-reaching community college that provides a first class, comprehensive education; and
     WHEREAS, Through Dr. Minnaert's dedicated stewardship, the college has grown in size and stature, growing from 56 acres when he started in 1975, to the current 101 acres, which includes the Hawk's Prairie Center satellite campus and the recently dedicated Dr. Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts; and
     WHEREAS, With Dr. Minnaert's support, South Puget Sound Community College's technical programs have doubled, its enrollment has multiplied nearly twenty-fold, and its faculty has nearly tripled; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert has fostered relationships between South Puget Sound Community College and local hospitals and area schools, as well as sister colleges in New Zealand, Mexico, Ireland, and China; and
     WHEREAS, Dr. Minnaert is an accomplished leader who is respected for his unwavering dedication to the college and community;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate offer its gratitude and commendation to Dr. Kenneth J. Minnaert for his commitment to higher education and the community; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Dr. Kenneth J. Minnaert and his family, and South Puget Sound Community College.