H.R. No. 777
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice
University in Houston celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Established in 1974 as the Jesse H. Jones Graduate
School of Management, the school received its initial funding from
Houston Endowment; its namesake, the founder of the endowment, was
a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist who also benefited the
nation as the director of military relief for the American Red Cross
during World War I, as the chair of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation during the Great Depression, and as the secretary of
commerce during World War II; in 1977, the Jones School's first
class matriculated with 23 students pursuing a master's degree in
business and public management and 32 students seeking a master's
degree in accounting, and the faculty included three full-time
faculty and four adjuncts; and
WHEREAS, The school gained accreditation in 1998, and through
the years, it has achieved numerous recognitions as a top business
school; ably guided since 2016 by Dean Peter Rodriguez, it
introduced Rice University's first online degree in 2018 and a
hybrid master of business administration program in 2023; since
launching in 2021, its undergraduate business major has quickly
become one of the most popular offerings at Rice; for the past five
years, the school's graduate entrepreneurship program has been
ranked No. 1 by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine; its
MBA program received the top rating from both the Financial Times
and Bloomberg Businessweek in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of a half century, the Jones
Graduate School of Business has provided nearly 10,000 students
with a strong foundation on which to build rewarding professional
careers, and it is indeed a pleasure to join in marking this
significant milestone in its history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the Jones Graduate School of
Business at Rice University on its 50th anniversary and extend to
all those associated with the school sincere best wishes for
continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Johnson
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 777 was adopted by the House on April
17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 128, Nays 12, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House