89R22123 KSM-D
By: Bettencourt, Kolkhorst S.R. No. 368
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, John Sharp is retiring as chancellor of The Texas
A&M University System in 2025, following the longest tenure at the
helm in the institution's history; and
WHEREAS, Named chancellor in 2011, Mr. Sharp has transformed
the System, which has grown to include 11 universities and eight
state agencies, and his efforts have earned him a place alongside
such legendary Texas A&M leaders as Sul Ross and James Earl Rudder;
he has raised the national profile of the flagship institution in
College Station, which is now the nation's largest university with
more than 79,000 students; in 2013, the System acquired Texas
Wesleyan University's law school, which became the Texas A&M
University School of Law and climbed more than 100 places in just a
decade to rank 26th among the law programs in the country;
Chancellor Sharp oversaw nearly $12 billion in construction and the
conversion of the Riverside Campus into Texas A&M-RELLIS, a
2,400-acre high-tech hub for defense research and testing;
moreover, he energized Aggie football with a nearly
half-billion-dollar expansion of Kyle Field and a move to the
Southeastern Conference; athletic facilities throughout the System
have been enhanced; and
WHEREAS, The System today has more than $1 billion in
research expenditures, and Texas A&M University holds the No. 1
spot in engineering research expenditures; five of the System's
universities have been awarded Research 2 status by the Carnegie
Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing them
among an elite group of leading research institutions and
highlighting their commitment to innovation; the System has also
seen an exponential increase in the number of faculty members who
are members of the National Academies; and
WHEREAS, Addressing the state's increasing energy needs, the
System has announced plans to provide a platform for companies to
test the latest nuclear reactors for increased power supply;
further, the System continues to be part of the team that manages
the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; in addition, it
was chosen in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Energy's National
Nuclear Security Administration as part of a group to manage and
operate the Pantex Plant, which maintains the nation's nuclear
weapons stockpile; and
WHEREAS, Chancellor Sharp brought to his role more than three
decades of experience in public office; he was elected to the Texas
House in 1978 and four years later, he won a seat in the Texas
Senate; subsequently, he was elected to the Texas Railroad
Commission and was twice elected state comptroller, a position in
which he created the Texas Performance Review, which identified and
enacted a savings of $4 billion to the state, keeping Texans from
having to pay a state income tax; a TAMU graduate and student body
president, Mr. Sharp was a member of the Corps of Cadets staff and
served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; while
employed by the Legislative Budget Board, he earned a master's
degree in public administration from Texas State University; he was
named a Distinguished Alumnus of TAMU in 2018; and
WHEREAS, Admired for his vision, dynamism, and unyielding
commitment to excellence, John Sharp has guided the Texas A&M
System through an era of tremendous progress, and his
accomplishments will yield ever-increasing benefits in the years to
come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature
hereby honor John Sharp for his service as chancellor of The Texas
A&M University System 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 Chancellor Sharp as an expression of high regard by the
Texas Senate.