H.R. No. 2036
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Patricia L. Starck has served as dean of the
School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston for 25 years; and
WHEREAS, A native of Georgia, Patricia Starck completed her
associate's degree in nursing at Georgia Southwestern State
University and went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in
nursing at Emory University; she subsequently obtained her
doctorate in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham;
and
WHEREAS, Dean Starck has contributed significantly to
scholarship and research in her field, receiving 14 grant awards
for her work, publishing 45 journal articles, serving as editor on
18 publications, and collaborating on and leading 12 clinical
research projects and 6 education research projects for
instructional distribution; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of this accomplished woman,
student enrollment in the UTHSC at Houston School of Nursing has
nearly doubled; in addition, philanthropic giving has increased
more than twentyfold, the number of endowed scholarships has risen
from 2 to 24, the number of endowed chairs has grown from 1 to 13, 7
research endowments have been created, and the faculty is almost
twice what it was when she began her tenure; the PARTNERS volunteer
support group, which Dean Starck founded, has played a key role in
this process, providing scholarships, endowed professorships, and
research funds and encouraging and supporting nursing students in
their studies; and
WHEREAS, Dean Starck has further contributed to the
development of numerous innovative programs, including the Women's
Health Care Nursing Program, the Pediatric Nursing Practitioner
Program, the Neonatal Nursing Program, the Acute Care Nursing
Program, the Adult Health Nursing Program, the Nurse Leadership and
Administration in Health Systems Program, the BSN BAC2 Degree
Program, which became independent in 2008, the Doctor of Science in
Nursing degree program, and the state's first Doctor of Nursing
Practice degree program; moreover, she has helped establish the
Center for Nursing Research, the Center on Aging, the Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention, Education and Research, and the
Biological Sciences Laboratory; and
WHEREAS, Adding to her achievements, Dean Starck recently
oversaw the construction of an award-winning 195,000-square-foot,
eight-floor LEED Gold Certified green building, which now houses
the School of Nursing; and
WHEREAS, Dean Starck has brought honor to the institution and
to herself as the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions:
the 2005 Health Policy Award, the Presidential Award for
Distinguished Contributions and Sterling Leadership from the XIV
Congress on Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy, the Griffin B. Bell
Distinguished Lecturer at Georgia Southwestern State University,
the Sister Bernadette Armiger Award from the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing, the Nursing Excellence Leadership Award
from the Houston Organization of Nurse Executives, the
Distinguished Professional Woman Award from The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston Committee on the Status of Women
1993, and the Collaboration Between Nursing Service and Education
Award from the Council of Deans/Directors and Nurse Executives; she
has also been named a Woman of Excellence by the Federation of
Houston Professional Women and an Outstanding Woman in Education by
the YWCA, and she belongs to such notable groups as Leadership
Texas, the Alumni Association of UTHSC at Houston School of
Nursing, Sigma Xi, Sigma Theta Tau, and Phi Kappa Phi societies, and
the American Academy of Nursing, of which she is a fellow; in
addition, the School of Nursing graduate degree program has been
ranked in the top five percent of graduate nursing programs in the
nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2010 edition of "America's
Best Graduate Schools"; and
WHEREAS, The UTHSC at Houston School of Nursing has benefited
immensely from the exemplary leadership of Patricia Starck, and her
outstanding efforts have made a positive and lasting difference in
the field of nursing in Texas; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby honor Dr. Patricia L. Starck for her impressive
achievements as dean of The University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston School of Nursing and extend to her sincere best
wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Starck as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Cohen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2036 was adopted by the House on May
19, 2009, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House