1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 996
 1-3           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes great pride
 1-4     in recognizing William H. "Bill" Cunningham for his eight years
 1-5     of invaluable service as chancellor of The University of Texas
 1-6     System; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, He joined The University of Texas at Austin as
 1-8     a professor of marketing and served as dean of the College of
 1-9     Business Administration/Graduate School of Business from 1983 to
1-10     1985 before becoming the university's president; and
1-11           WHEREAS, After serving as president for seven years,
1-12     Dr. Cunningham assumed the duties of chancellor of the system
1-13     in 1992; as chancellor, he held the Lee Hage and Joseph D. Jamail
1-14     Regents Chair in Higher Education Leadership and was the chief
1-15     executive officer for nine academic institutions, four medical
1-16     schools, and two hospitals; and
1-17           WHEREAS, During his tenure, Dr. Cunningham skillfully
1-18     managed a complex system with a $5.4 billion annual operating
1-19     budget, $20 billion in total assets, and over 76,280 employees;
1-20     and
1-21           WHEREAS, Dedicated to the welfare of The University of Texas
1-22     System and its campuses, Dr. Cunningham was responsible for
1-23     the founding and maintenance of innumerable administrative and
 2-1     educational programs and policies; one of his most notable
 2-2     initiatives was his cost-cutting plan to save the university an
 2-3     estimated $505 million during the period of 1999 to 2002; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, Dr. Cunningham devoted much of his time and energy
 2-5     to improving the educational opportunities in South Texas;
 2-6     he strongly supported the expansion of the Texas/Border
 2-7     Initiative, which resulted in funds of $440 million for five
 2-8     University of Texas System institutions in South Texas and the
 2-9     border region; and
2-10           WHEREAS, Other ventures in the border area under
2-11     Dr. Cunningham's leadership included the creation of a Regional
2-12     Academic Health Center in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and
2-13     an agreement between The University of Texas at El Paso and
2-14     Texas Tech University to operate a research center devoted to
2-15     border health issues; and
2-16           WHEREAS, In order to make The University of Texas System
2-17     available to more students, the UT TeleCampus was created, and
2-18     methods to increase minority enrollment were addressed; in addition,
2-19     Dr. Cunningham supported an initiative to increase the number of
2-20     minorities and women in the system's faculty and administrative
2-21     positions; and
2-22           WHEREAS, A strong proponent of the argument that an
2-23     investment in higher education has a positive effect on the
2-24     economic well-being of our state, Dr. Cunningham worked hard to
2-25     secure $1.2 billion in new funds for higher education in Texas
2-26     during 1999; and
 3-1           WHEREAS, A prominent Texas citizen and a nationally
 3-2     recognized leader in the field of education, Dr. Cunningham was
 3-3     named an Outstanding Texas Leader by the John Ben Shepperd
 3-4     Leadership Forum in 1987 and has been listed in Who's Who in the
 3-5     World since 1989; he earned the Distinguished Alumnus Award and
 3-6     an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Michigan State University
 3-7     in 1993; and
 3-8           WHEREAS, Throughout his 21 years of service to
 3-9     The University of Texas System, Dr. Cunningham had a positive
3-10     influence on the lives of countless students, professors, and
3-11     staff members, and he earned a reputation as a superior
3-12     administrator; and
3-13           WHEREAS, As chancellor of The University of Texas System,
3-14     Dr. Cunningham played a major role in making the system's
3-15     universities the high-quality institutions they are today, and he
3-16     deserves legislative recognition for his exceptional achievements;
3-17     now, therefore, be it
3-18           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
3-19     77th Legislature, hereby express appreciation to
3-20     Dr. William H. Cunningham for his outstanding accomplishments
3-21     and leadership and his invaluable contributions to
3-22     The University of Texas System and extend best wishes to him
3-23     for the future; and, be it further
3-24           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
3-25     him as an expression of highest regard from the Texas Senate.
3-26                                                    Lucio
 4-1           Armbrister           Gallegos            Shapiro
 4-2           Barrientos           Harris              Shapleigh
 4-3           Bernsen              Haywood             Sibley
 4-4           Bivins               Jackson             Staples
 4-5           Brown                Lindsay             Truan
 4-6           Cain                 Madla               Van de Putte
 4-7           Carona               Moncrief            Wentworth
 4-8           Duncan               Nelson              West
 4-9           Ellis                Ogden               Whitmire
4-10           Fraser                                   Zaffirini
4-11                      Ratliff, President of the Senate
4-12                                  ______________________________________
4-13                                          President of the Senate
4-14                                       I hereby certify that the above
4-15                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
4-16                                  on May 14, 2001.
4-17                                  ______________________________________
4-18                                          Secretary of the Senate
4-19                                  ______________________________________
4-20                                           Member, Texas Senate