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Rep. Steve Israel

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Farmingdale State College's 100th year anniversary.

Based in Farmingdale on Long Island and part of the world-class State University of New York system, Farmingdale State College has served an integral role on Long Island since its opening in 1912. Beginning as a school of applied agriculture, it has always been committed to providing students with the skills needed to succeed in the economy of the time paired with a solid academic education.

In fact, I was supportive of Farmingdale State College's successful effort to create a Green Building Institute to make Long Island a hub of innovation, job creation, and manufacturing, and its work to deploy buildings that reduce or eliminate those structures' impact on the environment. The program is just one of the initiatives putting Farmingdale State at the forefront of developing technology and practices to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. As co-founder and co-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), I work to advance policies that promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, and I am proud that Farmingdale State is working to advance those priorities as well. I look forward to seeing what students and professors at the college will develop next.

Farmingdale State College is a highly ranked and affordable public institution and will continue to play a pivotal role in Long Island's higher education and economy for years to come. Applicants and enrollees grow every year and include returning veterans, and I am honored to have such a distinguished institution in my district cultivating tomorrow's leaders and problem solvers. I am excited to see what successes will come in the next 100 years.