H.R. No. 2100
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Robert B. Sloan, Jr., takes up a new post as
chancellor of Baylor University on June 1, 2005, after shepherding
that institution through 10 transformative years in his capacity as
university president; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Sloan assumed the presidency of Baylor on June
1, 1995, and during his tenure he has led the school through a
period of significant academic, physical, and financial expansion;
that growth was epitomized by the regents' adoption in 2001 of a
10-year plan to move the university into the upper echelons of
American higher education while strengthening its Christian
mission; and
WHEREAS, During Dr. Sloan's tenure as president, Baylor has
established three new schools--engineering and computer science,
Honors College, and social work--and created five new doctoral
programs; the number of full-time faculty has grown from 644 to 780,
annual expenditures for research and other sponsored activity have
more than tripled, and faculty grant proposals have risen
substantially; in 2004, Baylor was the only school, out of 50
institutions across the country studied by the American Council of
Trustees and Alumni, to receive an "A" rating on its core
curriculum; and
WHEREAS, While Dr. Sloan has guided the university,
enrollment at Baylor has risen by 14 percent and minority
enrollment has risen as well, with minorities constituting nearly
one-third of the 2004 freshman class; the average SAT score of
entering freshmen has also improved, and for three consecutive
years, from 2002 to 2004, a Baylor student has been awarded one of
the prestigious Truman Scholarships; moreover, Baylor students
have gained new opportunities to expand their horizons through the
addition of 19 study-abroad programs and 22 exchange agreements
with international institutions; and
WHEREAS, Under Dr. Sloan's administration, the operating
budget at Baylor has more than doubled and the endowment has
increased nearly twofold; a five-year capital campaign, begun in
1999, was successfully concluded a year ahead of schedule, having
exceeded its goal by $27 million; altogether, gifts to the
university during Dr. Sloan's presidency total almost $400 million;
and
WHEREAS, To accommodate the dramatic increase in academic
programs and the attendant growth in the number of students and
faculty, Dr. Sloan has overseen the expansion of the Baylor campus
from 450 acres to almost 750 acres, together with the construction
of approximately $400 million worth of new facilities; and
WHEREAS, Baylor students have enjoyed notable athletic
success during Dr. Sloan's presidency, winning a number of
conference championships and claiming two NCAA national
championships; equally significant, Baylor student-athletes led
the Big 12 in 2004 with a 78 percent overall graduation rate; and
WHEREAS, Born in Coleman and raised in Abilene, Robert Sloan
received a bachelor's degree from Baylor in 1970; he went on to earn
a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in
1973 and a doctorate in theology from the University of Basel, in
Switzerland, in 1978; and
WHEREAS, After teaching for several years at Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, he joined the faculty
at Baylor in 1983 and in 1990 became the first holder of the George
W. Truett Chair in Evangelism; in 1993, Dr. Sloan was appointed the
founding dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary; and
WHEREAS, A productive, award-winning scholar, he has
published extensively, presented many academic papers, and served
as president of the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Sloan is involved in numerous organizations
related to higher education and has served on the board of the
Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas; moreover, he has
given generously of his time and talents to the Waco community and
surrounding areas, holding membership on the boards of several area
civic foundations and serving as president of the Lorena ISD school
board; and
WHEREAS, With his wife, Sue, a fellow Baylor graduate, Dr.
Sloan is the parent of seven children, including one who is a
student at Baylor and five who are Baylor alumni; and
WHEREAS, Imbued with a great love for the venerable
institution he has led for the past decade, Dr. Sloan can take
justifiable pride in the many advances achieved during his term as
its president and in the lofty vision that he championed and that is
today shaping the university for the 21st century; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Dr. Robert B. Sloan, Jr., for his many
contributions as president of Baylor University and extend to him
sincere best wishes as he continues his faithful service to his
Lord, his alma mater, and the people of Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Sloan as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Hughes Paxton
Taylor Phillips
Anderson Berman
Callegari Chisum
Cook of Navarro Corte
Crownover Davis of Harris
Dawson Delisi
Dunnam Eiland
Flynn Goodman
Harper-Brown Howard
Keffer of Dallas King of Parker
Laubenberg McCall
Miller Morrison
Mowery Orr
Riddle Seaman
Smithee Talton
Van Arsdale Wong
Zedler
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2100 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House