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