89R11807 TBO-D
By: Jones of Harris H.R. No. 223
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 February 11, 2025, to participate in
University of Houston Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The Tier One university is located in the nation's
fourth-largest city, and it serves students at instructional sites
in Sugar Land and Katy as well as at the UH Technology Bridge; the
institution is located 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
46,600, including many first-generation college students, mirrors
the rich cultural tapestry of Houston; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the university awards over 11,000 degrees
in 281 undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it now counts
more than 332,900 alumni, many of whom stay in Texas, where they
contribute to the success of our communities and state; and
WHEREAS, In the 17th year under the leadership of 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 in
four years, it has already graduated its first class of doctors and
has a current enrollment of 210 students; and
WHEREAS, The University of Houston is helping to improve the
health of Texans, with one in four UH students enrolled in a
health-related program; the university provides 450,000 hours of
patient care in clinical and community settings annually in a
variety of fields across Texas, and 85 percent of its graduates in
health-related fields are employed in Texas; and
WHEREAS, The university is home to 12 nationally funded
research centers and 27 university research centers and institutes,
and it has spent over $230 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 five NCAA Sweet Sixteen
tournaments in a row; following in the footsteps of the previous
year's team, the 2023-2024 team earned a No. 1 ranking in the
country, generating nationwide support and excitement similar to
the Phi Slama Jama era in the early 1980s; beginning in the summer
of 2023, Houston now competes 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 House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 11, 2025, as University of
Houston Day at the State Capitol and extend to all participants
sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoyable visit.