2004 Special Event
Dr. Christa Adams Welcomes President Bush

Owens President Dr. Christa Adams Welcomes
President George W. Bush.

On January 21st, 2004, Dr. Christa Elaine Adams* welcomed President George W. Bush to the Toledo-area campus of Owens Community College. This historic visit was the first stop after the President's State of the Union address. It was during the State of the Union address that President Bush discussed the importance of educating and training the workforce through new initiatives at community colleges. Owens received Presidential approval and was singled out as a national leader in higher education.

As the President came on stage in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts Theatre, he told the audience of 300, “We're about to have a discussion about how a community college can change people's lives; how we can use our community college system to help people who want to work to gain the skills necessary to find jobs in what is a changing economy.”

The President went on to explain why he picked Owens Community College for his visit. “. . . I want you to pay attention to what Owens is doing,” said President Bush to a cheering crowd. Owens Community College shone in the national spotlight when President Bush came to talk about his program to invest $250 million of direct money to community colleges to help job-training programs. Owens was selected because of its long history of providing affordable, leading-edge training. As the fastest growing college in Ohio, Owens currently serves more than 40,000 students.