H.R. No. 1227

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston is marking its 25th anniversary in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1993, the nonprofit nonpartisan think tank is dedicated to building a bridge between "the world of ideas and the world of action"; it bears the name of James A. Baker III, a native Texan who served as White House chief of staff and secretary of the treasury under President Ronald Reagan and as secretary of state and White House chief of staff under President George H. W. Bush; and

WHEREAS, The institute has been led since 1994 by director Edward P. Djerejian; a diplomat under eight administrations, he held such key posts as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and ambassador to Syria and Israel; and

WHEREAS, In the institute's early years, its research agenda was informed by Rice's geographic proximity to Mexico, the Texas Medical Center, and the global capital of the energy industry; Ambassador Djerejian's expertise led to the creation of the Center for the Middle East, and the institute's focus continued to expand significantly over the years; today, it encompasses 16 research centers and programs, and more than 50 research fellows, scholars, and other staff members work from the Rice campus headquarters, while dozens of faculty members also hold appointments with the center; and

WHEREAS, Through research, analysis, and advocacy, the institute's scholars and fellows have sought answers to the world's most daunting policy issues, and their expertise has been sought after by journalists and decision-makers alike; Baker fellows met more than a dozen times last year with representatives from state and federal agencies, as well as with legislators and their staffs, and they testified at state and federal committee hearings; moreover, local, state, and national reporters turn to Baker Institute scholars for informed commentary on and context for the news of the day, and in the last fiscal year, the think tank tallied some 20,000 media citations; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing its impact and public engagement, the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program has ranked the Baker Institute third among all the world's university-affiliated think tanks; Rice students benefit from the presence of a policy-oriented "thought factory" on campus, and the institute's dynamic, wide-ranging speaker series is a boon to the public; a host of prominent statesmen, diplomats, religious leaders, writers, scientists, and artists have been invited to speak on campus, including Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Israeli President Shimon Peres, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, former South African President Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama; since its inception, the institute has hosted every living former president of the United States; and

WHEREAS, For 25 years, the Baker Institute has been deeply immersed in our national conversations, providing scholarly expertise, empirical research, and insights born of firsthand experience on the issues that define our time and shape our world; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and honor its namesake, former secretary of state James A. Baker III, for his long and distinguished career in public service; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared for Secretary Baker and Ambassador Djerejian as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

Davis of Harris

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1227 was adopted by the House on April 17, 2019, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House