H.R. No. 2908
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Jake B. Schrum is retiring as president of
Southwestern University on June 30, 2013, concluding a
distinguished 13-year tenure in which he helped the school achieve
a series of important goals; and
WHEREAS, Since beginning his service as the 14th president of
Southwestern University on July 1, 2000, Jake Schrum has furthered
the institution's long-standing commitment to educational
excellence while also preparing Southwestern for the future; his
leadership of the Thinking Ahead campaign, the largest fund-raising
project in the history of the university, has generated nearly $150
million for initiatives aimed at supporting students and faculty,
increasing diversity, and enhancing the campus environment; these
funds have financed the construction and renovation of a number of
campus buildings and also enabled the university to launch its
signature Paideia program, which integrates the academic
curriculum with community experiences; and
WHEREAS, President Schrum has been instrumental in
developing relationships with other funding sources, including the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and in 2009 he helped Southwestern to
become the new home of the National Institute for Technology in
Liberal Education; moreover, this innovative administrator has
championed the goal of environmental sustainability, has overseen
an increase in the number of students from underrepresented groups,
and has worked to enhance campus life by expanding the university's
athletic offerings; and
WHEREAS, The insight that President Schrum has demonstrated
in his duties has been informed by his own educational experience;
after earning his bachelor's degree in psychology at Southwestern
in 1968, he went on to attain a master of divinity degree from Yale
University in 1973; he began his career as an administrator for two
Yale alumni associations and later became a fund-raiser for the
School of Divinity; he held other prominent administrative posts at
Muhlenberg College, Texas Wesleyan University, and Emory
University, and in the early 1980s he returned to Southwestern as
vice president of university relations; before accepting his
position as president of his alma mater, Mr. Schrum served as
president of Texas Wesleyan University for nine years; and
WHEREAS, President Schrum has established himself as a
national leader in higher education; he has held the office of
national board chair for the Council for the Advancement and
Support of Education, the Associated Colleges of the South, and the
Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and he has been a
member of the boards of such organizations as the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the
American Council on Education; he presently serves as a trustee of
Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, as a member of the steering
committee for the American College & University Presidents' Climate
Commitment, and as a member of the board for the Campus to Community
Coalition of Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 2008, President Schrum was recognized for his
outstanding stewardship of Southwestern University with a Chief
Executive Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and
Support of Education; he has written and edited several books and is
a frequent lecturer and consultant on topics in higher learning;
and
WHEREAS, Southwestern University has benefited immeasurably
from President Schrum's enterprising vision and unwavering
commitment to excellence, and he may indeed take great pride in his
myriad accomplishments as he prepares for the next exciting chapter
of his life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Jake B. Schrum on his retirement as
president of Southwestern University and extend to him sincere best
wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Schrum as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Farney
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2908 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House