SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 234
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in
recognizing William Powers, Jr., president of The University of
Texas at Austin, who has recently been honored in diverse areas
of endeavor including winning an award for legal scholarship and
being elected vice chair of an association of preeminent research
universities; and
WHEREAS, Bill Powers is a 2012 corecipient of the
prestigious John G. Fleming Memorial Prize for Torts
Scholarship; widely recognized as a leading American legal
scholar, he was awarded the prize for his definitive
interpretations of juridical concepts and for coauthoring a
treatise on the general principles of tort law; his extensive
writing on personal injury and emotional damages is considered
one of the major achievements of modern jurisprudence; and
WHEREAS, President Powers is highly respected for his
leadership on issues related to higher education, and he was
recently elected vice chair of the Association of American
Universities; the association's programs encourage improved
funding for research to enable leading universities to continue
functioning as centers of innovation and scientific advancement;
with his successful record as an advocate for undergraduate and
graduate education, he enriches the association, bringing his
expertise and keen intellect to bear on the critical task of
maintaining financial resources for programs of advanced
learning; and
WHEREAS, President Powers has also been appointed as a
member of a group of senior advisors to guide a new initiative of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences entitled the Lincoln
Project: Excellence and Access in Public Higher Education; this
initiative seeks to advocate for the importance of public
colleges and universities; as key engines of economic growth,
innovation, and upward mobility, these schools are facing
fundamental challenges from cutbacks in government support,
competition from for-profit education providers and foreign
universities, and emerging technological changes; and
WHEREAS, Since 2010, President Powers has also worked to
develop the Texas Higher Education Leadership Consortium with
other key leaders from two-year and four-year Texas public higher
education institutions and system offices, state policymakers
and senior staff, and leading national experts in higher
education policy, with the core purpose of cultivating effective
collaborations and a sense of shared responsibility for
increased higher education excellence, opportunity, and
productivity in Texas; and
WHEREAS, President Powers graduated magna cum laude from
Harvard Law School, where he was managing editor of the Harvard
Law Review; he joined the faculty at The University of Texas
School of Law in 1977 and taught with distinction before being
appointed as dean in 2000; he has been named to the university's
Academy of Distinguished Teachers, is a University Distinguished
Teaching Professor, and holds the Hines H. Baker and Thelma
Kelley Baker Chair in Law; on February 1, 2006, he took office as
president of The University of Texas at Austin; and
WHEREAS, President Powers is a Life Fellow of the American
Bar Foundation and the author of dozens of books and articles on
legal philosophy and the nuances of tort law; and
WHEREAS, His dedication to a clear understanding of legal
principles and the means by which they are translated into law
has made Bill Powers a well-known and admired figure in the world
of jurisprudence, and his commitment to the betterment of higher
education through student diversity, increased funding, and
curriculum innovation establishes him as a pacesetter in the
realm of public university leaders; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, hereby congratulate William Powers, Jr., of The
University of Texas at Austin on his many recent accomplishments
and honors and extend to him sincere appreciation for his
outstanding leadership; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
President Powers as an expression of esteem from the Texas
Senate.
Eltife Eltife
Eltife
Hegar Nelson Whitmire Hegar Nelson Whitmire
Hegar Nelson Whitmire
Hinojosa Seliger Williams Hinojosa Seliger Williams
Hinojosa Seliger Williams
Huffman Watson Zaffirini Huffman Watson Zaffirini
Huffman Watson Zaffirini
Birdwell Estes Paxton Birdwell Estes Paxton
Birdwell Estes Paxton
Campbell Fraser Rodriguez Campbell Fraser Rodriguez
Campbell Fraser Rodriguez
Carona Hancock Schwertner Carona Hancock Schwertner
Carona Hancock Schwertner
Davis Lucio Taylor Davis Lucio Taylor
Davis Lucio Taylor
Deuell Nichols Uresti Deuell Nichols Uresti
Deuell Nichols Uresti
Duncan Patrick Van de Putte Duncan Patrick Van de Putte
Duncan Patrick Van de Putte
Ellis West Ellis West
Ellis West
Dewhurst, President of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
______________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 18, 2013.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
Eltife
Hegar Nelson Whitmire
Hinojosa Seliger Williams
Huffman Watson Zaffirini
Birdwell Estes Paxton
Campbell Fraser Rodriguez
Carona Hancock Schwertner
Davis Lucio Taylor
Deuell Nichols Uresti
Duncan Patrick Van de Putte
Ellis West