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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, Southwestern University in Georgetown is |
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| 6 | 7 | | celebrating the 175th anniversary of its charter on February 5, |
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| 7 | 8 | | 2015, and it is indeed fitting to recognize this significant |
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| 8 | 9 | | milestone in the history of the state's oldest chartered |
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| 9 | 10 | | institution of higher education; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, In 1835, Colonel William B. Travis penned a letter |
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| 11 | 12 | | to the New York Christian Advocate calling for the establishment of |
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| 12 | 13 | | a Methodist presence in the new Republic of Texas, and five years |
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| 13 | 14 | | later, the first of Southwestern's four root colleges was |
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| 14 | 15 | | established through the visionary leadership of Methodist |
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| 15 | 16 | | missionary Martin Ruter; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, The university built a reputation for scholarly |
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| 17 | 18 | | excellence, and as it earned wider recognition, its enrollment |
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| 18 | 19 | | grew, reaching 1,000 by 1978; eventually, the school eliminated |
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| 19 | 20 | | graduate programs in order to focus on undergraduates in the |
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| 20 | 21 | | liberal arts and sciences; in 1988, US News & World Report named |
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| 21 | 22 | | Southwestern the top regional liberal arts college in the nation, |
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| 22 | 23 | | and today, both that publication and USA Today College rank it among |
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| 23 | 24 | | the nation's top liberal arts colleges; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, While maintaining a tradition of academic rigor, |
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| 25 | 26 | | with small classes and collaborative research opportunities, the |
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| 26 | 27 | | institution also fosters civic engagement and the exploration of |
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| 27 | 28 | | multiple perspectives to prepare graduates for the challenges of a |
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| 28 | 29 | | rapidly changing world; Southwestern students volunteer at twice |
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| 29 | 30 | | the national average rate, and half of all students study abroad; |
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| 30 | 31 | | most undergraduates also pursue leadership, service, and activism |
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| 31 | 32 | | roles in over 90 student organizations; demonstrating the |
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| 32 | 33 | | effectiveness of such a broad-based liberal arts education, more |
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| 33 | 34 | | than 90 percent of students find employment or gain acceptance into |
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| 34 | 35 | | graduate or professional programs within 10 months of graduation; |
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| 35 | 36 | | and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Today, Southwestern University has a diverse |
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| 37 | 38 | | enrollment of over 1,500 students, and it remains true to its |
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| 38 | 39 | | mission, "fostering a liberal arts community whose values and |
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| 39 | 40 | | actions encourage contributions toward the well-being of |
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| 40 | 41 | | humanity"; over the course of 175 years, this noteworthy |
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| 41 | 42 | | institution has provided its students with an education that has |
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| 42 | 43 | | enriched them both academically and personally, and in so doing, it |
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| 43 | 44 | | has made important contributions to Texas and the world beyond; |
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| 44 | 45 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 175th anniversary of the charter |
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| 47 | 48 | | of Southwestern University and extend to the institution's |
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| 48 | 49 | | administration, faculty, staff, and students sincere best wishes |
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| 49 | 50 | | for the future; and, be it further |
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| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 51 | 52 | | prepared for the university as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 52 | 53 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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