| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio is stepping down as |
|
|
president of Tarleton State University at the end of August 2019, |
|
|
concluding an exemplary tenure in office that has spanned 11 years; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Under the skillful guidance of Dr. Dottavio, an |
|
|
engaged and accessible administrator, Tarleton's enrollment has |
|
|
risen by almost 70 percent, from under 8,000 students to more than |
|
|
13,000; applications have increased by over 131 percent since 2012, |
|
|
reportedly placing the school seventh in the nation for such |
|
|
growth; retention and graduation rates have improved by 60 percent |
|
|
during the last five years, and The Texas A&M University System has |
|
|
recognized Tarleton as a model in this regard; donations to |
|
|
Tarleton have increased by 78 percent, and the endowment is up by 81 |
|
|
percent; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Since 2008, Tarleton has added more than 30 academic |
|
|
programs, and it has established a College of Health Sciences and |
|
|
Human Services as well as a School of Nursing, School of |
|
|
Engineering, School of Kinesiology, and School of Criminology, |
|
|
Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies; a new doctoral program in |
|
|
criminal justice is pending approval; Tarleton offers high-demand |
|
|
academic programs in Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, and Bryan |
|
|
through partnerships with other colleges and universities, and it |
|
|
will open the first building of its planned Fort Worth campus in |
|
|
August 2019; construction and expansion projects totaling over $400 |
|
|
million include the Memorial Stadium renovation, seven new |
|
|
residence halls, and a state-of-the-art engineering building set to |
|
|
open in 2019; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Dr. Dottavio previously served as president of |
|
|
Heidelberg University in Ohio and as dean and director of The Ohio |
|
|
State University at Marion; an Ohio State graduate, he holds a |
|
|
master's degree in forestry and environmental sciences from Yale |
|
|
University and a doctoral degree from Purdue University's College |
|
|
of Agriculture and Natural Resources; he will continue to serve |
|
|
Tarleton as a tenured professor in the College of Agricultural and |
|
|
Environmental Sciences, and he will assist the Division of |
|
|
Institutional Advancement; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Through his visionary leadership and passion for |
|
|
higher education, Dominic Dottavio has transformed Tarleton State |
|
|
University, and in so doing, he has earned the deep respect and |
|
|
admiration of students, his colleagues, and the wider community; |
|
|
now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio for his |
|
|
outstanding service as president of Tarleton State University and |
|
|
extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Dr. Dottavio as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |