SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 26
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 Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
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 from the
Texas Senate.
Johnson, Hall, Hancock
Parker, Paxton, West
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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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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 4, 2025.
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Secretary of the Senate