| |
| |
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Dr. Alvin O. Austin is retiring as president of |
|
|
LeTourneau University after 21 years in that demanding leadership |
|
|
role, and this occasion offers a fitting opportunity to commend him |
|
|
for his myriad contributions to the success of this noteworthy |
|
|
institution of higher learning; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Dr. Austin was introduced as president of LeTourneau |
|
|
University in 1986 and is just the fifth president in the school's |
|
|
60-year history; he began his career in Christian higher education |
|
|
in 1970, when he was named vice president of student affairs at |
|
|
Hardin-Simmons University, and he has long played an active role in |
|
|
promoting the importance of faith in the field of education; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Numerous educational organizations have benefited |
|
|
from Dr. Austin's visionary leadership, including the Council for |
|
|
Christian Colleges and Universities, the Council of Presidents of |
|
|
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Independent |
|
|
Colleges and Universities of Texas, Inc., and the Southern |
|
|
Association of Colleges and Schools; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In leading LeTourneau University into the 21st |
|
|
century, Dr. Austin has overseen unprecedented growth in |
|
|
enrollment, from 753 students to nearly 4,000, as well as the |
|
|
expansion of the school's degree offerings; the school earned |
|
|
university status in 1989 and added its first graduate-level |
|
|
programs that same year; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, During Dr. Austin's impressive tenure, LeTourneau |
|
|
University has consistently ranked as one of U.S. News and World |
|
|
Report's top American colleges; moreover, the university has |
|
|
extended its reach with the addition of educational centers in |
|
|
Dallas, Bedford, Tyler, Houston, and Austin, while also investing |
|
|
nearly $60 million in new construction and renovations for the |
|
|
Longview campus; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A former chairman and member of the Good Shepherd |
|
|
Medical Center's board of directors, Dr. Austin has also served as |
|
|
president of the Longview Chamber of Commerce; he helped form the |
|
|
Longview Partnership and currently serves on the board of directors |
|
|
of the Educational Radio Foundation of East Texas for Encouragement |
|
|
FM, the operator of two Christian radio stations in East Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Dr. Austin is blessed with the |
|
|
love and support of his wife, Samantha, and the couple's three |
|
|
children and six grandchildren; his hard work and dedication as |
|
|
president of LeTourneau University have resulted in a bright and |
|
|
promising future for the school, and his legacy of achievement will |
|
|
not soon be forgotten; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby commend Dr. Alvin O. Austin on his outstanding career as |
|
|
president of LeTourneau University and extend to him best wishes |
|
|
for continued happiness in his retirement; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Dr. Austin as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives and Senate. |