H.R. No. 111

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Dr. R. Bowen Loftin is stepping down as president of
	Texas A&M University on January 13, 2014, and returning to the
	classroom; and
	WHEREAS, During his tenure, Dr. Loftin has made involvement
	with students a priority, and he has distinguished himself
	throughout a period of research advancement and record enrollment
	growth; he provided skillful guidance in a number of major changes,
	including membership in the Southeastern Conference for
	intercollegiate athletics, and he has overseen the merger with the
	Texas A&M Health Science Center and the acquisition of a law school;
	he has created a strong working relationship with A&M students,
	always putting them first, engaging with them through social media,
	and agreeing to meet with any student on request; he is a familiar
	presence on campus, where his trademark bow tie has begun to set a
	new standard of attire; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Loftin was appointed president in February 2010,
	following eight months as interim president; previously, he served
	for four years as a system vice president and as chief executive
	officer of Texas A&M University at Galveston, and he was a professor
	of maritime systems engineering as well; he joined the A&M system
	from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was a
	professor of computer science and of electrical and computer
	engineering; in addition, he was the director of the Virginia
	Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center; earlier in his career,
	he was employed by the University of Houston as professor and chair
	of the Department of Computer Science and director of the NASA
	Virtual Environments Research Institute; and
	WHEREAS, A prominent expert in his field, Dr. Loftin is
	frequently called upon as a consultant by both industry and
	government in the areas of homeland security, advanced training
	technologies, scientific and engineering data visualization, and
	modeling and simulation; he is the author or coauthor of more than
	100 technical publications, and he serves on numerous governmental
	and academic advisory committees and panels; and
	WHEREAS, This esteemed educator is a member of the Aggie
	Class of '71 and a graduate of the physics program at A&M, and he
	holds master's and doctoral degrees in physics from Rice
	University; through the years, he has received myriad accolades,
	among them two Excellence in Teaching and Service awards from the
	University of Houston-Downtown and an American Association of
	Artificial Intelligence Award for an innovative application of
	artificial intelligence; moreover, NASA honored him with its 1995
	Invention of the Year Award, Public Service Medal, and Space Act
	Award; and
	WHEREAS, Dedicated to teaching and research, Dr. Loftin will
	continue to serve A&M as a tenured professor in the Department of
	Industrial and Systems Engineering; plans are also under way for
	his establishment of an institute at the university focusing on
	advanced simulation in human behavioral modeling; and
	WHEREAS, Bowen Loftin has immeasurably benefited Texas A&M
	University through his able leadership and steadfast commitment to
	Aggie core values, and as he embarks on the next exciting phase of
	his noteworthy career, he may indeed reflect with pride on his
	accomplishments; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
	Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commend Dr. R. Bowen Loftin
	for his service as president of Texas A&M University and extend to
	him sincere best wishes for continued success in his endeavors;
	and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Dr. Loftin as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Raney Anderson
	Workman Kacal
	Dukes Ashby
	Bohac Bonnen of Galveston
	Crownover Guillen
	King of Zavala Otto
	Wu
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 111 was adopted by the House on July
	25, 2013, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House