SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 368
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 State of Texas, 89th
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
from the Texas Senate.
Bettencourt
Alvarado Hall Middleton Alvarado Hall Middleton
Alvarado Hall Middleton
Birdwell Hancock Miles Birdwell Hancock Miles
Birdwell Hancock Miles
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Nichols Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Nichols
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Nichols
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Parker Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Parker
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Parker
Cook Huffman Paxton Cook Huffman Paxton
Cook Huffman Paxton
Creighton Hughes Perry Creighton Hughes Perry
Creighton Hughes Perry
Eckhardt Johnson Schwertner Eckhardt Johnson Schwertner
Eckhardt Johnson Schwertner
Flores King Sparks Flores King Sparks
Flores King Sparks
Gutierrez Kolkhorst West Gutierrez Kolkhorst West
Gutierrez Kolkhorst West
Hagenbuch Menéndez Zaffirini Hagenbuch Menéndez Zaffirini
Hagenbuch Menéndez Zaffirini
Patrick, President of the Senate
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on April 3, 2025.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
Alvarado Hall Middleton
Birdwell Hancock Miles
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Nichols
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Parker
Cook Huffman Paxton
Creighton Hughes Perry
Eckhardt Johnson Schwertner
Flores King Sparks
Gutierrez Kolkhorst West
Hagenbuch Menéndez Zaffirini