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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Cary Israel is retiring as president of Collin |
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| 6 | 7 | | College in January 2015, concluding a notable tenure that has |
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| 7 | 8 | | spanned nearly 16 years; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Appointed in 1999, Dr. Israel has skillfully guided |
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| 9 | 10 | | the institution through a period of tremendous growth; enrollment |
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| 10 | 11 | | at the campuses in Plano, McKinney, and Frisco has risen from 30,000 |
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| 11 | 12 | | to more than 52,000 credit and continuing education students, |
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| 12 | 13 | | facilities have been expanded by more than 1 million square feet, |
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| 13 | 14 | | and the college today offers more than 100 degrees and |
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| 14 | 15 | | certificates; it has gained wide recognition as a national Center |
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| 15 | 16 | | of Excellence in Nursing Education, and it is the recipient of more |
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| 16 | 17 | | than $30 million in grants and the only college or university in the |
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| 17 | 18 | | state to count six Carnegie Professors of the Year among its faculty |
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| 18 | 19 | | members; and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Israel has implemented a number of innovative |
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| 20 | 21 | | programs at Collin College, including the Weekend College, the |
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| 21 | 22 | | Collin Higher Education Center, and the Center for Scholarly and |
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| 22 | 23 | | Civic Engagement; through the PISD Health Sciences Academy |
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| 23 | 24 | | partnership with the Plano Independent School District, the |
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| 24 | 25 | | institution offers students the opportunity to get a head start on |
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| 25 | 26 | | careers in health care; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Also an outstanding steward of financial resources, |
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| 27 | 28 | | Dr. Israel oversaw decisions that resulted in Collin College |
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| 28 | 29 | | offering one of the lowest tuitions in the state even as it |
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| 29 | 30 | | continued to maintain or lower its tax rate every year; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, This esteemed leader has also made a positive impact |
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| 31 | 32 | | through his service on the executive and legislative committees of |
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| 32 | 33 | | the Texas Association of Community Colleges and as president of |
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| 33 | 34 | | Texas Campus Compact, a coalition of college and university |
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| 34 | 35 | | presidents who promote civic purposes of higher education; |
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| 35 | 36 | | moreover, he has been a member of the national executive advisory |
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| 36 | 37 | | council for SunGard Higher Education, of the advisory council for |
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| 37 | 38 | | the Center for Community College Education of Texas A&M |
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| 38 | 39 | | University-Commerce, and of the advisory board for the University |
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| 39 | 40 | | of North Texas Bill J. Priest Center for Community College |
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| 40 | 41 | | Education; and |
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| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Israel graduated from Michigan State University |
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| 42 | 43 | | and holds a juris doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy |
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| 43 | 44 | | School of Law; he brought to his role at Collin College a wealth of |
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| 44 | 45 | | knowledge and experience gained as president of Raritan Valley |
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| 45 | 46 | | Community College in New Jersey, as president of the Illinois |
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| 46 | 47 | | Community College System, and as president of Front Range Community |
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| 47 | 48 | | College in Colorado; and |
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| 48 | 49 | | WHEREAS, Deeply committed to the local community, Dr. Israel |
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| 49 | 50 | | is a Rotarian and a member of the Plano Chamber of Commerce advisory |
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| 50 | 51 | | board and of the boards of The Medical Center of Plano and the Plano |
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| 51 | 52 | | Symphony Orchestra; he was named one of 21 Leaders of the 21st |
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| 52 | 53 | | Century by Inside Collin County Business, and his numerous |
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| 53 | 54 | | accolades include two regional CEO of the Year Awards from the |
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| 54 | 55 | | Association of Community College Trustees, the Phi Theta Kappa |
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| 55 | 56 | | Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, the Plano Community Forum |
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| 56 | 57 | | Award, and the Collin County League of United Latin American |
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| 57 | 58 | | Citizens' Service Award; and |
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| 58 | 59 | | WHEREAS, Cary Israel has secured Collin College's place among |
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| 59 | 60 | | the state's most vibrant educational centers, and his exceptional |
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| 60 | 61 | | accomplishments will continue to enrich the lives of Texans for |
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| 61 | 62 | | years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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| 62 | 63 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 63 | 64 | | Legislature hereby honor Dr. Cary Israel on the occasion of his |
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| 64 | 65 | | retirement as president of Collin College and extend to him sincere |
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| 65 | 66 | | best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further |
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| 66 | 67 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 67 | 68 | | prepared for Dr. Israel as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 68 | 69 | | House of Representatives. |
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