This website will be unavailable from Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 3, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

                                                                                

78R8225 MDM-D

By:  Coleman                                                      H.R. No. 586



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The University of Houston (UH) College of Optometry 
has enhanced the well-being of countless Texans since it was 
established half a century ago; and
	WHEREAS, Founded in cooperation with the Texas Optometric 
Association in 1952, it is the only college of optometry in Texas 
and the Southwest and one of just 17 in the United States; its 
graduate program in vision science is among the most highly 
regarded in the country and boasts more than 3,100 alumni, who today 
practice in 49 states and 24 foreign countries; and
	WHEREAS, Led by Dean Jerald W. Strickland, the college is 
staffed by 67 professors and 507 adjunct members; included in this 
outstanding faculty are optometrists, vision, optical, and 
biomedical scientists, physicians, and public health specialists; 
and
	WHEREAS, The UH College of Optometry is home to two noted 
research facilities:  the Visual Optics Institute, the only center 
in the world devoted to the study of visual optics, and the Texas 
Eye Research Technology Center, dedicated to developing new 
ophthalmic technologies and procedures; each year, the college's 
faculty receives more than $3 million in grants and contracts to 
advance the understanding of vision and the ability to improve 
defective sight; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to its degree programs and its research 
and development mission, the college also affords treatment to 
Houston-area residents through its on-campus University Eye 
Institute and through clinics that it operates within various 
community health centers around the city; annually, some 45,000 
patients receive care at these sites, including thousands of 
preschool and school-age children; and
	WHEREAS, For the past 12 years, the college has supported the 
Texas Optometry Careers Opportunities Program, a nationally 
recognized model for recruiting and retaining minorities and 
educationally disadvantaged students for the health professions; 
and
	WHEREAS, Throughout its admirable history, the University of 
Houston College of Optometry has improved the quality of life for 
myriad residents of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding 
of the University of Houston College of Optometry and extend best 
wishes to its administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni 
for continued success.