H.R. No. 1311
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The University of Texas at Dallas is celebrating its
50th anniversary in 2019; and
WHEREAS, In 1961, three visionary founders of Texas
Instruments, Eugene McDermott, J. Erik Jonsson, and Cecil Green,
established the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest; it was
renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies in 1967, and two
years later the founders transferred the center to The University
of Texas System; that same year, the Texas Legislature established
UT Dallas, with an effective date of September 1969; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Francis Johnson served as acting president
until Dr. Bryce Jordan took the helm in July 1971, and Dr. Robert
Rutford became the second president in May 1982; Dr. Franklyn
Jenifer was appointed president in July 1994, and during his
11-year tenure, the school's enrollment increased more than 61
percent and many new buildings were constructed; Dr. David Daniel
became the fourth president in June 2005, and under his leadership,
UT Dallas doubled research expenditures, launched $300 million in
new construction, added 17 new degree programs, and raised $100
million in private funds; Dr. Hobson Wildenthal was appointed
president ad interim in May 2015, and current president Dr. Richard
Benson was inaugurated in October 2016; and
WHEREAS, Under Dr. Benson's guidance, UT Dallas has achieved
top-tier status with its designation by the Carnegie Commission on
Higher Education as an R1 doctoral university of very high research
activity and its achievement of critical benchmark criteria
required to qualify for funding from the National Research
University Fund; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, more than 110,000 alumni have
earned over 122,000 degrees from UT Dallas, and today, the
university offers 140 degree programs and boasts an enrollment of
nearly 30,000 students; in 2018, 37 percent of entering freshmen
were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class,
and 66 percent ranked in the top 25 percent; that same year, 172
National Merit Scholars chose to attend UT Dallas, more than any
other university in Texas; and
WHEREAS, The university's faculty includes a Nobel laureate
as well as members of the National Academy of Sciences and the
National Academy of Engineering; in 2015, Dr. Aziz Sancar became
the first graduate of UT Dallas to receive a Nobel Prize, winning
the chemistry prize for his work detailing how cells continuously
monitor and repair damaged DNA on a molecular level; and
WHEREAS, UT Dallas is an economic driver for the North Texas
region; more than 4,500 internships have been awarded to UT Dallas
students, and 21 of the 22 Fortune 500 companies in the Dallas/Fort
Worth Metroplex have hired UT Dallas graduates; and
WHEREAS, For the past half century, UT Dallas has provided
its students with a strong foundation for achievement, and in so
doing, it has contributed greatly to the growth and prosperity of
the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of The
University of Texas at Dallas and extend to all those associated
with the university sincere best wishes for continued success in
their important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for UT Dallas as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
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______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1311 was adopted by the House on May
3, 2019, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House