83R8094 MGR-D
By: Bell H.R. No. 544
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Students, faculty, and members of the
administration of Prairie View A&M University are visiting the
State Capitol on February 25, 2013, and this occasion provides a
fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the rich history and
continuing achievements of this notable institution; and
WHEREAS, Prairie View A&M University dates back to 1876, when
the 15th Texas Legislature established a school known as the "Alta
Vista Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored
Youth" during Reconstruction; the first students enrolled in 1878,
and a normal school for training teachers was created by the
legislature the following year; the normal school and the
agricultural and mechanical college were combined by the 20th
Legislature in 1887; and
WHEREAS, The institution expanded its curriculum to four
years in 1900 and began offering intercollegiate athletics in 1904;
the school won its first football game, against Wiley College, in
1907; a cooperative extension program was added in 1914 and the Army
Reserve Officer Training Corps followed in 1917; during the 1920s,
the school introduced the first baccalaureate degrees and a school
of nursing, took part in the organization of the Southwest Athletic
Conference, and also started hosting a branch of the University
Interscholastic League known as the Prairie View Interscholastic
League, which existed until the late 1960s; and
WHEREAS, In 1939, a graduate school was initiated at Prairie
View; the school began a program for commissioning U.S. Army
officers in 1944 and naval reserve officers in 1970; five
commissioned officers from the school's army training corps have
gone on to become three-star generals, and three officers from its
navy training corps have gone on to become admirals; and
WHEREAS, Voters approved a state constitutional amendment in
1984 that recognized Prairie View A&M as a university of the first
class and restructured the state's Permanent University Fund to
include Prairie View as a beneficiary; in addition, the legislature
established the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and
Culture at Prairie View in 1999; the school launched its first
doctoral program, in juvenile justice, and has since added others
in electrical engineering, juvenile forensic psychology, and
education leadership; and
WHEREAS, Now under the leadership of president Dr. George C.
Wright, the university has an enrollment of over 8,000 students,
including more than 2,000 graduate students; and
WHEREAS, On March 11, 2013, Prairie View A&M will observe the
137th anniversary of its founding; it has been providing its
students with a solid foundation for achievement for more than a
century, and in so doing, it has contributed immeasurably to the
fascinating history and ongoing prosperity of the Lone Star State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Prairie View A&M University on the
occasion of its 137th anniversary and extend to the delegation
visiting today sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable
trip to the State Capitol; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the university as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.