SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 316
WHEREAS, Distinguished representatives of the Texas Tech
University System are gathering at the State Capitol on March 5,
2019, to celebrate the system's vital role in the Lone Star
State; and
WHEREAS, The system, governed by a nine-member board of
regents and chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, 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 $2 billion enterprise
currently educating nearly 55,000 students, conducting research
that results in more than $228 million in expenditures annually,
and counting over 340,000 alumni; the system also has a $1.36
billion endowment and some 20,000 faculty and staff 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,
the flagship institution, is a major comprehensive research
university, led by President Lawrence Schovanec; enrolling more
than 38,000 students in 10 colleges and two schools, Texas Tech
University has set a new fall enrollment record for the past 10
years, and enrollment has increased by 34 percent over a decade;
in 2018, the university was designated a Hispanic-Serving
Institution, furthering its vision of educating a diverse,
robust population of students; with the goal of being one of the
nation's premier research institutions, the university has
increased its total research expenditures by 237 percent within a
decade; additionally, the Carnegie Classification of
Institutions of Higher Education recently reaffirmed Texas Tech
University in its "Very High Research Activity" category,
classifying the university as one of 86 public Tier One research
institutions in the nation; in pursuit of its mission of
innovative problem solving, Texas Tech University is
establishing the state's first new veterinary school to open in
over 100 years in order to provide trained veterinarians to the
nonmetropolitan and agricultural communities in critical need
and to expand educational opportunities in Texas; and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is
celebrating its 50th year, in which it has grown from a school of
medicine to a comprehensive health-related institution composed
of five schools in diverse health care disciplines, including
medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, and biomedical
sciences, and the center has trained more than 28,000 health care
professionals; overseen by Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center enrolls more than 5,000
students and has dedicated over $218 million in research
expenditures in the past five years, with significant studies in
such areas as aging, cancer, reproduction, parasites, 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 nearly three million people
who live throughout a vast 108-county area; and
WHEREAS, Joining the system in 2007, Angelo State
University enrolls more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and
doctoral students in more than 100 majors and concentrations and
is directed by President Brian J. May; designated as a
Hispanic-Serving Institution, Angelo State University was the
first university in the state to offer a degree in computer
science, recently introduced its rapidly expanding engineering
programs, and has been named to the Princeton Review's "Best
Colleges" list every year since 2010; unique to Angelo State
University is the Carr Academic Scholarship program, which is
funded by one of the largest endowments at a regional university
in the United States and makes scholarships possible for
approximately one-third of its students; and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at
El Paso became a stand-alone health science center in 2013,
making it the fourth and newest member of the Texas Tech
University System; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
at El Paso is composed of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine,
the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, and the Graduate School
of Biomedical Sciences; headed by Dr. Richard Lange, the
university enrolls more than 1,000 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 the neurosciences; it will soon add the
Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine to elevate access to
critical dental care for West Texans; and
WHEREAS, Students from the Texas Tech University College
of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Matador Institute
of Leadership Engagement are present at the Capitol today as they
cultivate professional leadership skills and participate in key
issues affecting local, state, and national agriculture and
policy; also present today are Angelo State University political
science students representing the Ram Family and getting
hands-on experience in their studies; members of the student
government associations from across the Texas Tech University
System have also traveled to Austin to represent their
universities and to promote the system's priorities and the
interests of the student body; 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, 86th
Legislature, hereby recognize March 5, 2019, as Texas Tech
University System Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm
welcome to all those from the system who are visiting here today.
Perry
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 5, 2019.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate