SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 310
WHEREAS, Distinguished representatives of the Texas Tech
University System are gathering at the State Capitol on March 4,
2015, to celebrate the system's vital role in the Lone Star
State; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Tech University System, governed by a
nine-member Board of Regents and Chancellor Robert L. Duncan,
consists of Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center, Angelo State University, and Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center at El Paso; the system is a
$1.7 billion enterprise that currently educates nearly 47,000
students, conducts a wide range of studies with more than
$200 million in research expenditures annually, and counts
approximately 290,000 alumni; the system also has an endowment of
more than $1 billion and some 17,000 faculty and staff members
who are focused on advancing higher education, health care,
research, and outreach across the state; and
WHEREAS, Each component of the system provides innovative
educational and research opportunities; Texas Tech University is
a major comprehensive research university, led by President
M. Duane Nellis; enrolling more than 35,000 students in 10
colleges and two schools, Texas Tech University has set a new
fall enrollment record for the past eight years, increasing 25
percent since 2007; with the goal of being one of the nation's
premier research institutions, the university had more than
$153 million in total research expenditures in 2014; additionally,
10 faculty members were awarded grants from the Fulbright United
States Scholar Program in 2013, the most of any research
university in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is
composed of five schools in various health care disciplines,
including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences,
and biomedical sciences, and has trained more than 20,000 health
care professionals; overseen by Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, the health
sciences center enrolls more than 4,500 students and has tripled
its research expenditures over the past five years with
significant studies underway in areas such as aging, cancer,
reproduction, and genetic diseases; the university also
graduates more health care professionals than any other
health-related institution in Texas and meets the health care
needs of more than 2.5 million people who live throughout a vast
108-county area; and
WHEREAS, Angelo State University, which joined the system
in 2007, currently enrolls nearly 6,500 students in five colleges
and is directed by President Brian J. May; Angelo State
University was the first university in the state to offer a
degree in computer science and has been named to the Princeton
Review's "Best Colleges" list for the past six consecutive years;
unique to Angelo State University, its Carr Scholarship program
is funded by one of the largest endowments at a regional
university in the United States, thus making scholarships
possible for one of every five of its students; and
WHEREAS, As the fourth and newest member of the system,
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso became a
comprehensive health-related institution in 2013 and includes
the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the Gayle Greve Hunt
School of Nursing, and a regional Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences; headed by Dr. Richard A. Lange, the university
enrolled nearly 500 students, is home to the first medical school
on the nation's southern border, and conducts important research
focused on cancer, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases,
and neurosciences; and
WHEREAS, Through its missions, the Texas Tech University
System and its four component institutions continue to better the
higher education and health care landscapes, and in so doing, the
system has contributed to the remarkable achievements of the
state as a whole; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
Legislature, hereby recognize March 4, 2015, as Texas Tech
University System Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm
welcome to all those from the system who are visiting on this day.
Perry
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 4, 2015.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate