H.R. No. 481
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The University of Texas at Dallas has greatly
benefited from the visionary leadership of President Richard C.
Benson, who has guided the institution over the past eight years;
and
WHEREAS, In his role at UTD's helm, Dr. Benson has launched
ambitious fundraising endeavors, including the New Dimensions
campaign, which has amassed more than $415 million to date; he has
also overseen tens of millions of dollars in research expenditures,
and his tenure has coincided with the advancement of several
significant campus projects, including the opening of the Texas
Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building and the
breaking of ground on the 12-acre Athenaeum cultural district; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Benson earned his bachelor's degree in aerospace
and mechanical science from Princeton University in 1973, his
master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of
Virginia in 1974, and his doctorate in mechanical engineering from
the University of California, Berkeley, in 1977; prior to the start
of his career in higher education, he was employed with the Xerox
Corporation; in 1980, he became a professor of mechanical
engineering at the University of Rochester, where he later served
as an associate dean and chair of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering; and
WHEREAS, While at Penn State from 1995 to 2005, Dr. Benson
headed the Department of Mechanical Engineering, later renamed the
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering; he also served as
dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech from 2005 to
2016, during which time that department achieved record growth; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Benson has been honored on many occasions by the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, of which he has been a
Fellow since 1998; he received ASME's Henry Hess Award in 1984, and
in 2009, he was elected to a three-year term on the organization's
board of governors; he has further held editorial positions with
several ASME publications, including its Journal of Applied
Mechanics; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure as president, Dr. Richard
Benson has worked tirelessly to elevate UTD's status as a
first-rate research university and a premier institution of higher
learning, and his achievements will continue to be appreciated for
many years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby honor President Richard C. Benson for his
outstanding service to The University of Texas at Dallas and the
field of higher education and extend to him sincere best wishes for
the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Benson as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Plesa
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 481 was adopted by the House on March
31, 2025, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House