86R12942 JH-D
By: Pacheco H.R. No. 554
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Texas A&M University-San Antonio is celebrating its
10th anniversary in 2019, and this milestone offers a fitting
opportunity to pay tribute to this dynamic institution; and
WHEREAS, State Senator Frank Madla was an instrumental figure
in the establishment of A&M-SA; in the late 1990s, he initiated the
process of locating an institution of higher education on the South
Side of San Antonio, and the first courses were offered in 2000,
when 126 students began studies under the auspices of The Texas A&M
University System; initially, classes were held at Palo Alto
Community College, and land for a permanent campus was acquired in
2007; the official founding of Texas A&M University-San Antonio as
a stand-alone university took place in May 2009, with the passage of
Senate Bill 629 by the Texas Legislature and the bill's subsequent
signing by Governor Rick Perry; and
WHEREAS, The first decade in the A&M-SA saga has been filled
with notable accomplishments; Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier was
named inaugural president in 2010 and helped guide the college's
early development, including the opening of the Main Campus
building in 2011; Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson took the reins in
2014 and has overseen further additions to the university's
facilities, including the completion of the campus's first
dormitory, Esperanza Hall, in 2017 and the three-story Science and
Technology Building in 2018; and
WHEREAS, One of the defining characteristics of the past 10
years has been the university's robust growth; enrollment has
increased by more than 300 percent during that period, reaching a
present total of 6,500, and over 8,000 students have earned an
A&M-SA degree to date; from the outset, the institution has placed a
special focus on serving underrepresented communities in the local
area, and it has pioneered programs to help students overcome
financial and academic barriers to completing their studies; today,
nearly three-quarters of A&M-SA students are Hispanic, 60 percent
are female, and 77 percent are the first members of their families
to attend college; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, Texas A&M University-San
Antonio has excelled in its educational mission, helping the
members of its diverse student body to prepare for the challenges
and opportunities of the future, and all those associated with the
institution may take justifiable pride in its outstanding record of
achievement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding
of Texas A&M University-San Antonio and extend to the school's
students, faculty, and administrators sincere best wishes for
continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the university as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.