Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HR1682 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R13317 BK-D
2	2	By: Meyer H.R. No. 1682
3	3
4	4
5	5	R E S O L U T I O N
6	6	WHEREAS, Southern Methodist University is celebrating 100
7	7	years of operation in 2015, a milestone that marks a century of
8	8	growth, progress, and achievement; and
9	9	WHEREAS, SMU traces its roots back to 1911, when the United
10	10	Methodist Episcopal Church, South, laid the foundation for a new
11	11	university in Dallas after residents pledged $300,000 to secure its
12	12	location there; the institution opened its doors on September 22,
13	13	1915, welcoming an inaugural class of 456 students at its colleges
14	14	of liberal arts, music, and theology; and
15	15	WHEREAS, A private, nonsectarian university, SMU today has an
16	16	endowment of $1.4 billion and an enrollment of more than 11,000
17	17	students from all 50 states and nearly 100 countries, reflecting a
18	18	wide diversity of geographic, economic, and religious backgrounds;
19	19	students benefit from small class sizes and a wealth of research and
20	20	learning resources, including nine libraries that together contain
21	21	the largest private collection of research materials in the
22	22	Southwest; under the leadership of President R. Gerald Turner, the
23	23	university also boasts a world-class faculty and enjoys a
24	24	reputation as a leader in research across a broad range of
25	25	disciplines; and
26	26	WHEREAS, Degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and
27	27	professional levels are offered through seven schools, including
28	28	the Cox School of Business, one of the top-ranked business schools
29	29	nationally and globally, as well as highly rated colleges of law,
30	30	engineering, and the arts; named among the best national
31	31	universities by U.S. News & World Report, SMU has also been
32	32	recognized for the impressive number of its graduates who go on to
33	33	start businesses and for its record of success in preparing alumni
34	34	for senior executive positions in the corporate world; and
35	35	WHEREAS, The picturesque main campus of SMU, located five
36	36	miles north of downtown Dallas, consists of 101 buildings on 234
37	37	acres, and the university additionally operates satellite campuses
38	38	in Plano and in Taos, New Mexico; the Dallas community benefits
39	39	greatly from the educational and cultural opportunities provided by
40	40	the university, which welcomes more than 300,000 visitors annually
41	41	for special events; among the attractions unique to the campus are
42	42	the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a complex that houses the
43	43	Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush
44	44	Institute, and the Meadows Museum, which features an expansive
45	45	collection of Spanish art; and
46	46	WHEREAS, The SMU athletics program draws an enthusiastic
47	47	following as well; students compete in Division I of the American
48	48	Athletic Conference, and during the 2013-14 school year, 10 of the
49	49	school's sports teams qualified for postseason tournaments; the SMU
50	50	men's basketball team made a particularly strong showing, advancing
51	51	to the championship game of the 2014 National Invitation Tournament
52	52	and tallying an unprecedented number of home victories; and
53	53	WHEREAS, Looking to the future, the university launched the
54	54	Second Century Campaign in 2008 to fulfill a comprehensive set of
55	55	objectives that will further enhance SMU's status as a premier
56	56	learning environment; since that time, the initiative has resulted
57	57	in new classroom, athletic, and student life facilities, as well as
58	58	student scholarships, academic programs, and faculty positions;
59	59	and
60	60	WHEREAS, Throughout its history, Southern Methodist
61	61	University has contributed to the prosperity and cultural vitality
62	62	of the Lone Star State and to the advancement of human knowledge
63	63	around the world, and the next century will no doubt continue the
64	64	proud tradition of excellence associated with this venerable
65	65	institution; now, therefore, be it
66	66	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
67	67	Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of Southern
68	68	Methodist University and extend to the school's administration,
69	69	faculty, staff, and students sincere best wishes for the future;
70	70	and, be it further
71	71	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
72	72	prepared for the university as an expression of high regard by the
73	73	Texas House of Representatives.