| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio is stepping down as |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | president of Tarleton State University at the end of August 2019, |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | concluding an exemplary tenure in office that has spanned 11 years; |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | and |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Under the skillful guidance of Dr. Dottavio, an |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | engaged and accessible administrator, Tarleton's enrollment has |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | risen by almost 70 percent, from under 8,000 students to more than |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | 13,000; applications have increased by over 131 percent since 2012, |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | reportedly placing the school seventh in the nation for such |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | growth; retention and graduation rates have improved by 60 percent |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | during the last five years, and The Texas A&M University System has |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | recognized Tarleton as a model in this regard; donations to |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | Tarleton have increased by 78 percent, and the endowment is up by 81 |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | percent; and |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Since 2008, Tarleton has added more than 30 academic |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | programs, and it has established a College of Health Sciences and |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | Human Services as well as a School of Nursing, School of |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | Engineering, School of Kinesiology, and School of Criminology, |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies; a new doctoral program in |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | criminal justice is pending approval; Tarleton offers high-demand |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | academic programs in Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, and Bryan |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | through partnerships with other colleges and universities, and it |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | will open the first building of its planned Fort Worth campus in |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | August 2019; construction and expansion projects totaling over $400 |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | million include the Memorial Stadium renovation, seven new |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | residence halls, and a state-of-the-art engineering building set to |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | open in 2019; and |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Dottavio previously served as president of |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | Heidelberg University in Ohio and as dean and director of The Ohio |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | State University at Marion; an Ohio State graduate, he holds a |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | master's degree in forestry and environmental sciences from Yale |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | University and a doctoral degree from Purdue University's College |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | of Agriculture and Natural Resources; he will continue to serve |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | Tarleton as a tenured professor in the College of Agricultural and |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | Environmental Sciences, and he will assist the Division of |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | Institutional Advancement; and |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, Through his visionary leadership and passion for |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | higher education, Dominic Dottavio has transformed Tarleton State |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | University, and in so doing, he has earned the deep respect and |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | admiration of students, his colleagues, and the wider community; |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby honor Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio for his |
|---|
| 48 | 49 | | outstanding service as president of Tarleton State University and |
|---|
| 49 | 50 | | extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|---|
| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 51 | 52 | | prepared for Dr. Dottavio as an expression of high regard by the |
|---|
| 52 | 53 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
|---|