SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 234
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 State of Texas, 88th
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.
Miles
Alvarado Creighton Middleton Alvarado Creighton Middleton
Alvarado Creighton Middleton
Bettencourt Huffman Whitmire Bettencourt Huffman Whitmire
Bettencourt Huffman Whitmire
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 1, 2023.
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Secretary of the Senate
Alvarado Creighton Middleton
Bettencourt Huffman Whitmire