By Jones of Dallas H.R. No. 929 76R15734 WMS-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Dr. Haywood L. Strickland has achieved outstanding 1-2 success for Texas College as its president and he is most deserving 1-3 of special praise and recognition; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Located in Tyler, Texas College was founded in 1894 1-5 by the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; although the 1-6 institution experienced several difficult years, Dr. Strickland's 1-7 arrival in 1994 as president signaled a significant turnaround in 1-8 the school's fortunes; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Dr. Strickland ably supervised a process to develop 1-10 and implement a comprehensive planning and evaluation process 1-11 supporting all of the school's programs and activities as well as 1-12 integrating future educational, physical, and financial 1-13 development; and 1-14 WHEREAS, To build the finest possible faculty for the 1-15 four-year, liberal arts college, Dr. Strickland created a plan to 1-16 raise teacher salaries over a period of five years, added academic 1-17 strength by raising the percentage of teachers with doctorates, and 1-18 increased the resources and opportunities for professional growth 1-19 and development of faculty and staff; and 1-20 WHEREAS, He has also worked to attract students to Texas 1-21 College by developing a comprehensive student enrollment program, 1-22 improving staffing, operations, and services at the school's 1-23 financial aid office, reviewing and revising the core/general 1-24 education component of the school's undergraduate curriculum, 2-1 enhancing the school's facilities and grounds, and expanding 2-2 student health care services; and 2-3 WHEREAS, To keep the school competitive in an 2-4 information-dominated culture, Dr. Stricland has assembled a grant 2-5 proposal to develop a campus-wide strategic plan for information 2-6 technology architecture, supported by a state-of-the-art, fully 2-7 networked, computer system for use by students, faculty, 2-8 administrators, and members of the community; and 2-9 WHEREAS, Providing young Texans with a quality higher 2-10 education is essential to preserving our state's future prosperity 2-11 and it is fitting that we honor Dr. Strickland for his many notable 2-12 accomplishments in this regard; now, therefore, be it 2-13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-14 Legislature hereby congratulate Dr. Haywood L. Strickland for his 2-15 exceptional achievements as president of Texas College and extend 2-16 to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it 2-17 further 2-18 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-19 prepared for Dr. Strickland as an expression of high regard by the 2-20 Texas House of Representatives.