H.R. No. 1081
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, James D. Spaniolo is retiring as president of The
University of Texas at Arlington on May 31, 2013, drawing to a close
more than nine years of outstanding service to that institution;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Spaniolo earned his bachelor's degree magna cum
laude from Michigan State University, where he was also the
editor-in-chief of the student newspaper; he went on to earn both a
master's degree in public administration and a law degree from the
University of Michigan in 1975; moreover, during those years, he
served his country as a medical corpsman in the U.S. Army Reserve;
and
WHEREAS, After handling libel and First Amendment cases for
the law firm of Paul and Thomson in Miami, Florida, Mr. Spaniolo
established the first in-house legal departments at the Miami
Herald and the American Newspaper Publishers Association; from 1977
to 1989, he held several positions with the Knight-Ridder newspaper
chain, serving as general counsel and general executive at the
Miami Herald and vice president for human resources and assistant
to the publisher at the Detroit Free Press; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Spaniolo then went on to serve as vice president
and chief program officer for the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation from 1989 to 1996, and from 1996 to 2004, he was the dean
of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and a professor at
the School of Journalism at Michigan State University; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, Mr. Spaniolo became the seventh president
of The University of Texas at Arlington, and under his
administration, the university's research budget has tripled to
more than $71.4 million; the university has also increased its
investment in faculty recruitment and retention, creating more than
100 new positions and establishing new endowed chairs and
professorships; the number of private donors to the university has
increased by 34 percent, and donations have grown from $5.8 million
in 2005 to more than $23.2 million in 2012; the university's
endowment has more than doubled, from $39 million in 2004 to $95
million in 2013; and
WHEREAS, During President Spaniolo's tenure, enrollment has
increased at UT Arlington from 25,000 in 2004 to more than 33,800
students in 2013, and new residence halls and apartments have
increased the number of students living on campus to 5,300; in
addition, President Spaniolo has played a leading role in making
the university one of the most diverse in the nation, with a student
population that is 21 percent Hispanic, 15 percent African
American, 10 percent Asian, and 8.3 percent from foreign countries;
the average SAT score of full-time students rose to a new high of
1088 in 2012; and
WHEREAS, The university's infrastructure and physical plant
have also improved under President Spaniolo's leadership, with more
than a dozen new or renovated buildings marking an increase of 1.5
million square feet in the past five years; new facilities include
the Engineering Research Building and the 20.5 acre College Park
District, which incorporates parking structures, a residence hall
and student apartments, a welcome center, retail space, and a
7,000-seat events center; and
WHEREAS, Despite his many professional responsibilities,
President Spaniolo has found time to give back to the community as a
member of the executive committee of the Arlington Chamber of
Commerce and a member of the boards of the Arlington Tomorrow
Foundation, the Center for Innovation, the Fort Worth Chamber of
Commerce, the North Texas Commission, and the Van Cliburn
Foundation; he has earned the Arlington Chamber of Commerce Star
Award, the Sally Kallam Award for support of Leadership Arlington,
and the Silver Eagle Award from the Boy Scouts of America for his
service to Arlington; and
WHEREAS, James Spaniolo's vision, energy, and commitment to
excellence have greatly benefited The University of Texas at
Arlington and earned him the respect and admiration of the entire UT
Arlington community, and he may indeed reflect with pride on all
that he has achieved; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate James D. Spaniolo on his retirement
as president of The University of Texas at Arlington and extend to
him sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for President Spaniolo as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.
Patrick
Burnam
Burkett
Branch
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1081 was adopted by the House on April
3, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House