By: Truan S.C.R. No. 55
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
1-1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-2 WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Texas takes pride in
1-3 congratulating Texas A&M University-Kingsville, formerly Texas A&I
1-4 University, Texas College of Arts and Industries, South Texas State
1-5 Teachers College and South Texas State Normal College, on the
1-6 celebration of its 75th anniversary in the Year 2000 and on the
1-7 excellent educational opportunities it provides the young people of
1-8 our state, nation, and beyond; and
1-9 WHEREAS, located in the heart of Kingsville and at the gate
1-10 of the legendary King Ranch, Texas A&M University-Kingsville opened
1-11 its doors in 1925 as "South Texas State Normal College" with an
1-12 emphasis on education and the teaching profession and has continued
1-13 to grow and expand its mission to meet the educational needs of the
1-14 region, today offering 56 bachelor's degrees in 52 fields of study
1-15 and 60 graduate degrees in 38 areas, enabling more than 50,000
1-16 students to achieve degrees over the past 75 years; and
1-17 WHEREAS, the Javelina was first adopted as mascot in August
1-18 1926, and the spirit and tradition of the Javelina has been a
1-19 continuing presence at the university; and
1-20 WHEREAS, with teaching at the very heart of the institution
1-21 since its founding, the University established a bilingual
1-22 education program to work with students whose native language was
2-1 Spanish, leading the university in 1975 to become the first in the
2-2 nation to offer a doctoral degree program in bilingual education,
2-3 and later introduced a joint doctoral degree program in educational
2-4 leadership with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; and
2-5 WHEREAS, in 75 years, about one-third of the degrees awarded
2-6 by now Texas A&M University-Kingsville have been in the field of
2-7 education and many graduates remain in South Texas as teachers and
2-8 administrators, further serving the South Texas-Border area; and
2-9 WHEREAS, the School of Agriculture was created in 1930, which
2-10 established a citrus research center in the Rio Grande Valley
2-11 following World War II that developed the Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit
2-12 and, today, is conducting pioneering research in biotechnology
2-13 involving gene transfer; and
2-14 WHEREAS, the School of Liberal Arts was created in 1930,
2-15 which is now known as the College of Arts and Sciences and as the
2-16 university's most inclusive college, contributes the largest
2-17 dimension of academic course work and offers the most classes; and
2-18 WHEREAS, Texas A&M University-Kingsville's ROTC program
2-19 evolved from the special classes for the military offered by the
2-20 university in 1942, to the formation of the University ROTC Cadet
2-21 Corps in 1951 and presently the Reserve Officers Training Corps;
2-22 and
2-23 WHEREAS, courses in business administration started in 1925,
2-24 and courses were added until the fall of 1930, when the curriculum
2-25 began to diversify and expand in 1948 as The School of Business
2-26 Administration added courses to prepare students for examinations
3-1 leading to professional certifications and in 1965 brought data
3-2 processing to its curriculum and in 1994 as the College of Business
3-3 Administration introduced computer information systems, offering 17
3-4 courses in computer programming and data base operations; and
3-5 WHEREAS, in 1930 an engineering program began to develop and
3-6 later through the efforts of the late Dr. Frank H. Dotterweich,
3-7 then "Texas A&I University" became the only institution in the
3-8 United States to offer a degree in petroleum and natural gas
3-9 engineering, and developed the odor that made natural gas a safe
3-10 fuel for home use; a new state-of-the-art $15 million Javelina
3-11 Engineering Complex will be open for classes in Fall 2001 housing
3-12 most of the current engineering faculty, labs and departments; and
3-13 WHEREAS, a new horticulture doctoral program began in Spring
3-14 2001 and the university is currently awaiting approval of a new
3-15 doctorate in environmental engineering and a recent memorandum of
3-16 understanding with Texas A&M University strengthened the civil and
3-17 industrial engineering graduate degree offerings; and
3-18 WHEREAS, A&M University-Kingsville's athletic program can
3-19 boast of a number of firsts that are not related to winning games
3-20 and meets, as the first integrated college in the State of Texas
3-21 with a black football player and among the first four-year
3-22 institutions in the state to have women's athletics; and their
3-23 outstanding intercollegiate athletic teams have brought national
3-24 prominence with a football program that has earned seven national
3-25 championships, as well as a women's basketball team that competed
3-26 this year in the prestigious Elite 8, Lone Star Conference
4-1 championships and play-off invitations in women's and men's
4-2 basketball and baseball, national champions from track and field
4-3 and cross country, and conference-competitive volleyball and
4-4 softball teams; and
4-5 WHEREAS, Texas A&M University-Kingsville currently boasts six
4-6 alumni in the Texas Legislature, including Senator Carlos F. Truan,
4-7 Dean of the Texas Senate; Senator J.E. "Buster" Brown; Senator
4-8 Eddie Lucio, Jr.; State Representative Irma Rangel; State
4-9 Representative Tom Uher; State Representative Dora Olivo and State
4-10 Representative Ignacio Salinas Jr.; and
4-11 WHEREAS, in 1989, SB 122 was filed in the Texas Senate by
4-12 Senator Truan, and sponsored by Representative Rangel in the Texas
4-13 House of Representatives, to unite Texas A&I University with The
4-14 Texas A&M University System; the bill was approved on May 17, 1989,
4-15 and was effective September 1, 1989 and on that same day four years
4-16 later, September 1, 1993, the institution officially became "Texas
4-17 A&M University-Kingsville"; now, therefore, be it
4-18 RESOLVED, that the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
4-19 hereby congratulates Texas A&M University-Kingsville for providing
4-20 an outstanding educational environment since 1925, and for its
4-21 innumerable contributions to the State of Texas; and, be it further
4-22 RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be prepared for Marc
4-23 Cisneros, President, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, D.V. Guerra,
4-24 President, Javelina Alumni Association, and The Texas A&M
4-25 University System Board of Regents for their contributions to Texas
4-26 A&M University-Kingsville and as an expression of high regard from
5-1 the Texas Legislature.