SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 232
WHEREAS, Distinguished representatives of the Texas Tech
University System are gathering at the State Capitol on March 12,
2025, to celebrate the system's vital role in the Lone Star
State; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Tech University System, governed by a
nine-member board of regents and led by its chancellor, Dr. Tedd
L. Mitchell, consists of Texas Tech University, Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University,
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, and
Midwestern State University; the system is a more than $3 billion
enterprise that currently educates over 64,000 students,
conducts research that results in more than $228 million in
annual expenditures, and boasts over 400,000 alumni; the system
has a $3 billion endowment and employs approximately 21,000
employees who are dedicated to advancing higher education,
health care, research, and outreach across the state; and
WHEREAS, Established more than a century ago, Texas Tech
University, the flagship institution of the Texas Tech
University System, is a major comprehensive research university
led by its president, Dr. Lawrence Schovanec; enrolling over
40,000 students across 10 colleges and 3 schools, the university
has set fall enrollment records for nearly two decades; this
year, the inaugural class of students will graduate from the
Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, providing
trained veterinarians to rural communities where they are needed
most; in striving to become one of the nation's premier research
institutions, the university has increased its total research
expenditures by 50 percent in the past decade; among its many
achievements, the university earned the Very High Research
Activity designation from the Carnegie Classification of
Institutions of Higher Education, and it is one of only 135
public research institutions in the nation to achieve Tier One
status; and
WHEREAS, In its 56-year history, Texas Tech University
Health Sciences Center has grown from a school of medicine into a
comprehensive health-related institution encompassing six
schools, which have trained more than 42,000 health care
professionals and enrolled over 5,000 students; the institution
benefits from the able leadership of its president, Dr. Lori
Rice-Spearman, and it produces about 24 percent of all degrees
and certificates awarded by health-related institutions in the
state; in addition, the center serves as a vital health care
resource for more than 10 million people across a vast 121-county
area; committed to addressing critical health disparities, the
university is at the forefront of rural health innovation,
facilitated by the Division of Rural Affairs; with more than $233
million in research expenditures over the past five years, the
university is advancing studies in aging, cancer, reproduction,
parasitology, and brain diseases; and
WHEREAS, Angelo State University joined the Texas Tech
University System in 2007, and under the guidance of President
Ronnie D. Hawkins Jr., it currently enrolls over 11,500 students
across more than 100 majors and concentrations; the university
was one of the first in Texas to offer a degree in cyber defense
certified by the National Security Agency; its award-winning
Regional Security Operations Center, the first in the state, has
become a nationwide model for public-private collaborative
cybersecurity programs; Angelo State University has also become
a nationally recognized leader in security studies, nursing,
education, and social work, while its newest undergraduate
degree program in commercial aviation is gaining prominence
across the country; notably, more than 80 percent of students
receive some type of financial aid, allowing many to graduate
with little to no debt; the university has been named to The
Princeton Review's "Best Colleges" list every year since 2010;
and
WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El
Paso became a stand-alone institution in 2013, making it the
fourth member of the Texas Tech University System; among its four
endowed schools is the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine,
which opened in 2021 and has since helped to expand access to
critical dental care for West Texans and address the dentist
shortage in underserved communities; overseen by its president,
Dr. Richard Lange, the university enrolls approximately 1,000
students, and it is home to the first medical school on the
nation's southern border; over the years, the university has
conducted significant research in the areas of cancer, diabetes
and obesity, infectious diseases, and the neurosciences, and in
2025, it will break ground on a world-class cancer center,
bringing critical comprehensive cancer care to the region; and
WHEREAS, Midwestern State University, which boasts a
100-year history of educational excellence in North Texas,
became the fifth and newest addition to the Texas Tech University
System in 2021; benefiting from the leadership of its president,
Dr. Stacia Haynie, the university consists of six colleges and a
graduate school, and it enrolls more than 5,300 students;
Midwestern State University is also a key economic driver in the
Wichita Falls area, contributing more than $329 million to the
region and over $997 million to the state; the university pairs
engaging academic programs with hands-on research opportunities
that address workforce demands in STEM fields; additionally, the
university has partnered with Sheppard Air Force Base to expand
educational opportunities for active-duty military members and
their families; and
WHEREAS, True to their missions, the Texas Tech University
System and its five component institutions are enhancing higher
education and health care, and their remarkable achievements and
many contributions to the Lone Star State are indeed worthy of
special recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby recognize March 12, 2025, as Texas Tech
University System Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm
welcome to the visiting delegation.
Perry
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 12, 2025.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate