SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 180
         WHEREAS, Dr. Raymund A. Paredes is concluding an
  outstanding 15-year tenure as Texas commissioner of higher
  education on August 31, 2019; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes is an alumnus of The University of
  Texas at Austin, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in
  English and a doctoral degree in American Civilization, and the
  University of Southern California, where he earned a master's
  degree in American Studies; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes joined the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board as commissioner of higher education in July
  2004; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has a long and broad range of
  experience in public higher education; he served for 30 years as
  a professor of English at the University of California, Los
  Angeles, and he also served as department chair, dean, vice
  chancellor, and special assistant to the president of the
  University of California system; and
         WHEREAS, As commissioner of higher education, Dr. Paredes
  serves as the chief executive officer for the coordinating board
  and manages staff and resources to achieve the goals for Texas
  higher education as established by the board, the governor, and
  the Texas legislature, and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes tirelessly advocates for the
  importance of higher education in maintaining economic
  competitiveness and quality of life in Texas; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has had national influence on higher
  education by effectively serving on the boards of various
  national organizations, such as the American Association of
  Colleges and Universities, The College Board, and the Education
  Commission of the States, and he is the longest-serving current
  member of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the
  national association of the chief executives of statewide
  governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary
  education; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has worked effectively with
  institutions of higher education, the legislature, the
  governor's office, the business community, and primary school
  and secondary school educational leaders to develop and
  implement higher education policies that have improved student
  access and success, raised educational excellence, and promoted
  efficient use of state resources; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes focused on the importance of both
  increasing access to postsecondary education and helping
  students complete their certificates and degrees, and this has
  led to Texas dramatically exceeding the student completion goal
  of the state's previous higher education plan, Closing the Gaps
  by 2015; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has served as the primary advocate
  for 60x30TX, the state's current higher education plan, and he
  has consistently sought to expand public support for the plan and
  identified and implemented strategies and practices to achieve
  its goals; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes adheres to the highest standards of
  integrity and ethical behavior and is an educational leader of
  passion and vision who is fully committed to expanding
  educational opportunity and success to Texans of all
  backgrounds; and
         WHEREAS, His many accomplishments as commissioner of
  higher education include the reinvention of developmental
  education and the implementation of an outcomes-based funding
  model for two-year colleges that focuses on student success; he
  also worked to establish the tri-agency partnership under
  Governor Greg Abbott that includes the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas
  Workforce Commission; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes came from a poor family where the
  number-one priority was always education, and due to his
  upbringing, he has been passionate his entire adult life about
  extending educational opportunity to children from all
  backgrounds; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has advocated tirelessly for
  increased funding for, and efficiencies in, the TEXAS Grant
  program, the state's largest need-plus-merit grant program,
  which has grown by 142 percent since 2004; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has also promoted other models for
  financial aid, such as expanded work-study and paid internships,
  to help the state achieve the marketable skills and student debt
  goals of 60x30TX; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. Paredes has spearheaded the growth of the
  Texas Affordable Baccalaureate to make college more affordable
  to students by securing private grants to support the start-up of
  these programs; as a result of his efforts, Texas now has 10
  institutions participating in this program; now, therefore,
  be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
  Legislature, hereby commend Dr. Raymund A. Paredes for his
  exceptional career as commissioner of higher education and
  extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success as he
  embarks on the next chapter of his life; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  Dr. Paredes as an expression of high regard from the
  Texas Senate.
 
  Watson
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on February 11, 2019.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate