88R13091 JRI-D
By: Miles, et al. S.R. No. 234
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators,
and members of the board of regents from the University of Houston
are visiting Austin on March 2, 2023, to participate in University
of Houston Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The Tier One campus is located in the nation's
fourth-largest city, within a region that is home to a quarter of
the state's population and that generates nearly a third of the
state's gross product; the student body, numbering more than
46,000, including many first-generation college students, mirrors
the rich cultural tapestry of Houston; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the university awards over 10,000 degrees
in 277 undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it now counts
more than 326,000 alumni, many of whom stay in Texas, where they
contribute to the success of our communities and state; and
WHEREAS, In the 16th year under the leadership of chancellor
and president Renu Khator, the University of Houston has set its
sights on being ranked among our country's top 50 public
universities, which will be achieved as a result of rapidly
improving graduation rates, the ability to improve the social
mobility of its students, and the recognition of the research
excellence of its faculty; and
WHEREAS, The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine,
established after the passage of H.B. 826 during the 86th Texas
Legislative Session, was founded on a social mission to improve
health in underserved communities in Houston and across Texas; the
college emphasizes the importance primary care plays in the health
of all Texans, especially in urban and rural communities, and it has
already enrolled its third cohort of students, with a total of 120
future doctors; and
WHEREAS, The university is home to nine nationally funded
research centers and 28 university research centers and institutes,
and it has spent over $200 million in research expenditures
annually, mainly in the critical areas of cyber and national
security, drug discovery and development, sustainable communities
and infrastructure, and accessible health care; and
WHEREAS, The University of Houston athletics competes in 17
different sports with more than 400 student-athletes; several of
the athletic teams have represented the university on the national
stage, including the Cougar men's basketball team led by head coach
Kelvin Sampson that has advanced to three NCAA Sweet Sixteen
tournaments in a row and competed in the Final Four in 2021; the
2022-2023 team earned a No. 1 ranking in the country for the first
time since the Phi Slama Jama era in the early 1980s; beginning in
the summer of 2023, Houston will compete in a Power 5 conference
after its acceptance to join the Big 12 Conference; and
WHEREAS, For nearly a century, the University of Houston has
contributed significantly to creating generation after generation
of productive and responsible citizens; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
hereby recognize March 2, 2023, as University of Houston Day at the
State Capitol and extend to all participants sincere best wishes
for an informative and enjoyable visit.