LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring United Technologies Corporation upon the
occasion of its designation as recipient of the 2012 Award for Advocacy
of Independent Higher Education from the National Association of Inde-
pendent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
corporations that invest in higher education for the betterment and
advancement of their employees, strive to improve the workforce and
business climate around the globe, and that stand as a model for the
rest of this great state and nation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
United Technologies Corporation upon the occasion of its designation as
recipient of the 2012 NAICU Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher
Education, which recognizes the corporation's remarkable milestone of
surpassing an investment of more than one billion dollars in its work-
force through the Employee Scholar Program; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, United Technologies Corporation, which manufactures
high-technology products for global aerospace and building systems
industries, established the Employee Scholar Program to empower its
employees to expand their skill sets, advance their careers, and obtain
lifelong learning and employment; and
WHEREAS, Through the Employee Scholar Program, United Technologies
Corporation has provided full and part-time participating employees with
free college tuition and books, and with up to three hours a week of
paid release time for study; and
WHEREAS, Currently, there are more than 12,000 employees from 51 coun-
tries participating in United Technologies Corporation's Employee Schol-
ar Program; thousands of those employees live, work, and attend higher
education institutions in Central New York and throughout New York
state; and
WHEREAS, In 2012, United Technologies Corporation reached a milestone,
surpassing an investment in its workforce of more than one billion
dollars in tuition costs paid to higher education institutions on behalf
of current and former employees; and
WHEREAS, The Employee Scholar Program has enabled United Technologies
Corporation employees to earn more than 32,000 college degrees; and
WHEREAS, More than 1,400 degrees have been awarded in New York state
alone to United Technologies employees, and there were an additional 242
New York-based program participants in the last year alone, and the
total amount of awards within the state exceeded $30 million; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor United Technologies Corporation upon the occasion of its desig-
nation as recipient of the 2012 NAICU Award for Advocacy of Higher Inde-
pendent Education, which recognizes the corporation's remarkable mile-
stone of surpassing a one billion dollar investment in its workforce
through the Employee Scholar Program; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Louis Chenevert, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of United
Technologies Corporation.