SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 316

WHEREAS, Distinguished representatives of the Texas Tech University System are gathering at the State Capitol on March 5, 2019, to celebrate the system's vital role in the Lone Star State; and

WHEREAS, The system, governed by a nine-member board of regents and chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, consists of Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso; the system is a $2 billion enterprise currently educating nearly 55,000 students, conducting research that results in more than $228 million in expenditures annually, and counting over 340,000 alumni; the system also has a $1.36 billion endowment and some 20,000 faculty and staff who are focused on advancing higher education, health care, research, and outreach across the state; and

WHEREAS, Each component of the system provides innovative educational and research opportunities; Texas Tech University, the flagship institution, is a major comprehensive research university, led by President Lawrence Schovanec; enrolling more than 38,000 students in 10 colleges and two schools, Texas Tech University has set a new fall enrollment record for the past 10 years, and enrollment has increased by 34 percent over a decade; in 2018, the university was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, furthering its vision of educating a diverse, robust population of students; with the goal of being one of the nation's premier research institutions, the university has increased its total research expenditures by 237 percent within a decade; additionally, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recently reaffirmed Texas Tech University in its "Very High Research Activity" category, classifying the university as one of 86 public Tier One research institutions in the nation; in pursuit of its mission of innovative problem solving, Texas Tech University is establishing the state's first new veterinary school to open in over 100 years in order to provide trained veterinarians to the nonmetropolitan and agricultural communities in critical need and to expand educational opportunities in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is celebrating its 50th year, in which it has grown from a school of medicine to a comprehensive health-related institution composed of five schools in diverse health care disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, and biomedical sciences, and the center has trained more than 28,000 health care professionals; overseen by Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center enrolls more than 5,000 students and has dedicated over $218 million in research expenditures in the past five years, with significant studies in such areas as aging, cancer, reproduction, parasites, and genetic diseases; the university also graduates more health care professionals than any other health-related institution in Texas and meets the health care needs of nearly three million people who live throughout a vast 108-county area; and

WHEREAS, Joining the system in 2007, Angelo State University enrolls more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in more than 100 majors and concentrations and is directed by President Brian J. May; designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Angelo State University was the first university in the state to offer a degree in computer science, recently introduced its rapidly expanding engineering programs, and has been named to the Princeton Review's "Best Colleges" list every year since 2010; unique to Angelo State University is the Carr Academic Scholarship program, which is funded by one of the largest endowments at a regional university in the United States and makes scholarships possible for approximately one-third of its students; and

WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso became a stand-alone health science center in 2013, making it the fourth and newest member of the Texas Tech University System; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso is composed of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; headed by Dr. Richard Lange, the university enrolls more than 1,000 students, is home to the first medical school on the nation's southern border, and conducts important research focused on cancer, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases, and the neurosciences; it will soon add the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine to elevate access to critical dental care for West Texans; and

WHEREAS, Students from the Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Matador Institute of Leadership Engagement are present at the Capitol today as they cultivate professional leadership skills and participate in key issues affecting local, state, and national agriculture and policy; also present today are Angelo State University political science students representing the Ram Family and getting hands-on experience in their studies; members of the student government associations from across the Texas Tech University System have also traveled to Austin to represent their universities and to promote the system's priorities and the interests of the student body; and

WHEREAS, Through its missions, the Texas Tech University System and its four component institutions continue to better the higher education and health care landscapes, and in so doing, the system has contributed to the remarkable achievements of the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby recognize March 5, 2019, as Texas Tech University System Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to all those from the system who are visiting here today.

Perry

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 5, 2019.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate