HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 765 Offered January 18, 2007 Commending Charles R. King. ---------- Patron-- Phillips ----------

WHEREAS, Dr. Charles R. King, Southwest Virginia Community College's distinguished founding president, retired on January 1, 2007, completing 40 years of extraordinary leadership and  great service to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and the citizens of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the 1966 General Assembly of Virginia authorized the establishment of a statewide system of community college education in Virginia, and the master plan designated a community college to be established in the area serving Buchanan County and parts of the Counties of Dickenson, Russell, and Tazewell; and

WHEREAS, the Local College Board was appointed in the summer of 1967 and recommended that the college be named Southwest Virginia Community College and that Dr. Charles R. King be appointed its first president; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King opened his beloved Southwest Virginia Community College in the fall of 1968 with an initial enrollment of 710 students, and so much of the college's growth and vitality today is due to his unwavering dedication to the school's mission to provide all of the citizens of Southwest Virginia with the opportunity to continue their personal and intellectual development; and

WHEREAS, over four decades, Dr. Charles King has provided wisdom and guidance for Southwest Virginia Community College’s growing faculty and staff and excellent administration of the school's dynamic 100-acre campus, where students may choose from more than 80 programs leading to an associate degree, diploma, certificate, or career studies certificate; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Charles King has overseen the construction of a state-of-the-art technology center, football field, and recreation complex and the beautiful Charles R. King Community Center, which includes gymnasium and auditorium facilities and was named in his honor and funded solely by the Southwest Virginia Community College Educational Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King's greatest interest and most lasting contribution has been his sincere effort to continually provide the best new educational programs and initiatives for Southwest Virginians so that they might grow, prosper, and improve the quality of life of their families and their communities; and

WHEREAS, a skilled administrator with vast knowledge and experience, Dr. King has served the longest of any college president, with the same institution, in the VCCS; and

WHEREAS, Southwest Virginia Community College ranks number one in population participation in the VCCS because of Dr. Charles King’s visionary leadership and early support of computer-based and distance learning and creative partnerships with the community, business, and other institutions of higher learning; and

WHEREAS, committed to excellence in higher education, Dr. Charles King through his superb leadership has been instrumental in the continued growth and economic development of Southwest Virginia, the vitality of Southwest Virginia Community College, and the achievement and success of its students; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Dr. Charles R. King for his outstanding public service to the citizens of the Commonwealth and his fine leadership as founding president of Southwest Virginia Community College; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. Charles R. King as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude for his many contributions to the VCCS and best wishes for a happy and rewarding retirement.