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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Texas State University System, the oldest and |
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third-largest system of higher education in Texas, is celebrating |
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its centennial in 2011; and |
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WHEREAS, Created by the Texas Legislature in 1911, the system |
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originally brought together Sam Houston Normal Institute, in |
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Huntsville; North Texas State Normal College, in Denton; Southwest |
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Texas State Normal School, in San Marcos; and West Texas State |
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Normal College, in Canyon; oversight of the system was vested in a |
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group known as the State Normal School Board of Regents; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, the system has evolved dramatically; |
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component institutions were renamed state teachers colleges in |
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1923, and they subsequently composed what was known as the State |
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Senior College System; renamed the Texas State University System in |
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1975, the network now encompasses eight institutions: Sam Houston |
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State University, Texas State University--San Marcos, Sul Ross |
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State University, Sul Ross State University--Rio Grande College, |
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Lamar University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State |
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College--Orange, and Lamar State College--Port Arthur; and |
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WHEREAS, Each of the institutions in the Texas State |
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University System carries the name of, or is closely associated |
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with, a Texas hero--Sam Houston, statesman, commander of the Texas |
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Army, first and third president of the Republic of Texas, and |
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governor of Texas; Mirabeau Lamar, widely recognized as the Father |
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of Texas Education and the second president of the Republic of |
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Texas; Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Civil War veteran, general, |
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governor, and president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College |
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of Texas; and Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1930 graduate of Southwest |
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Texas State Teachers College at San Marcos and 36th president of the |
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United States of America; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, every school in the system is facing an |
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increased demand for its services, with overall enrollment growing |
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at a faster rate than the state's population; the number of students |
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registered collectively in system institutions rose by 4.8 percent |
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between the fall semesters of 2009 and 2010, reaching nearly |
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76,000; to accommodate those students, the system and its component |
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institutions employ over 15,000 faculty and staff; and |
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WHEREAS, Campuses of the Texas State University System are |
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located across the state, and each boasts a distinctive character |
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and its own unique strengths; together, the schools' myriad |
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offerings range from industrial certification to doctoral degrees, |
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and a number of their programs have achieved national prominence; |
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some of the schools are extensively engaged in research, and all put |
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a premium on quality teaching; and |
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WHEREAS, Since its inception, the Texas State University |
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System has enriched the lives of countless students, contributed to |
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the advancement of human knowledge, and proved a powerful force for |
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social progress and economic development in the Lone Star State; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the centennial of the founding of the Texas |
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State University System and honor all those associated with its |
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member institutions for their commitment to academic excellence and |
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public service; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Texas State University System as an expression of |
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high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |