82R24853 MGR-D

By: Hunter H.R. No. 1752

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Dr. Mary Ann Rankin, the dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, is taking on a new challenge in August 2011 when she becomes the next president and CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative; and

WHEREAS, The National Math and Science Initiative is a nonprofit organization that was created in 2007 to increase science and math achievement in the United States and ensure our nation's continued leadership in the global economy; by expanding advanced placement course offerings, improving mastery of science and math courses, and training qualified teachers, the program is encouraging American innovation in vital fields such as technology, engineering, and medicine; the program was established with support from the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and other partners; and

WHEREAS, Mary Ann Rankin has served as dean of the UT College of Natural Sciences since 1994; in addition to overseeing a college that serves about 9,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students and employs 360 faculty members, she has shepherded the development of new interdisciplinary research initiatives such as the Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the Center for Learning and Memory, and the Marine Science Institute; she is considered an expert fund-raiser, with grants and contracts awarded to the college in 2009-2010 amounting to more than $134 million, as well as a respected scholar who has conducted research and published extensively on insect physiology and behavior; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Rankin has further distinguished herself as a champion of the Freshman Research Initiative, and since 2007 she has worked with the National Math and Science Initiative on replicating throughout the country the UTeach program, which prepares secondary school math and science teachers; the UTeach program has tripled its enrollment in the past three years, and it is being used as a model at more than 20 other institutions; Dr. Rankin has also contributed to her professional community as a member of the American and Royal Entomological Societies and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and as vice chair of the board of directors of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Rankin began her affiliation with UT 36 years ago, when she was hired as an assistant professor of zoology in 1975; she became chair of the biological sciences department in 1989; and

WHEREAS, Before coming to Texas, this Indiana native received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Louisiana State University and served as a National Science Foundation predoctoral fellow at the University of Iowa and at Imperial College in England; in 1972, she earned her doctorate in physiology and behavior from the University of Iowa and then went to Harvard as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow; and

WHEREAS, Regarded by her peers as a determined, organized, and dedicated leader who has steered the College of Natural Sciences to its place as one of the world's best, Dr. Rankin is sure to bring that same clarity of vision and commitment to science and mathematics education to her new position; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Dr. Mary Ann Rankin on her appointment as president and CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative and extend to her sincere best wishes for success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Dr. Rankin as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.