SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 234
	WHEREAS, Students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators,
	and members of the board of regents from the University of Houston
	are visiting Austin on March 2, 2023, to participate in University
	of Houston Day at the State Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, The Tier One campus is located in the nation's
	fourth-largest city, within a region that is home to a quarter of
	the state's population and that generates nearly a third of the
	state's gross product; the student body, numbering more than
	46,000, including many first-generation college students,
	mirrors the rich cultural tapestry of Houston; and
	WHEREAS, Each year, the university awards over 10,000
	degrees in 277 undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it
	now counts more than 326,000 alumni, many of whom stay in Texas,
	where they contribute to the success of our communities and
	state; and
	WHEREAS, In the 16th year under the leadership of
	chancellor and president Renu Khator, the University of Houston
	has set its sights on being ranked among our country's top 50
	public universities, which will be achieved as a result of
	rapidly improving graduation rates, the ability to improve the
	social mobility of its students, and the recognition of the
	research excellence of its faculty; and
	WHEREAS, The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of
	Medicine, established after the passage of H.B. 826 during the
	86th Texas Legislative Session, was founded on a social mission
	to improve health in underserved communities in Houston and
	across Texas; the college emphasizes the importance primary care
	plays in the health of all Texans, especially in urban and rural
	communities, and it has already enrolled its third cohort of
	students, with a total of 120 future doctors; and
	WHEREAS, The university is home to nine nationally funded
	research centers and 28 university research centers and
	institutes, and it has spent over $200 million in research
	expenditures annually, mainly in the critical areas of cyber and
	national security, drug discovery and development, sustainable
	communities and infrastructure, and accessible health care; and
	WHEREAS, The University of Houston athletics competes in
	17 different sports with more than 400 student-athletes; several
	of the athletic teams have represented the university on the
	national stage, including the Cougar men's basketball team led by
	head coach Kelvin Sampson that has advanced to three NCAA Sweet
	Sixteen tournaments in a row and competed in the Final Four in
	2021; the 2022-2023 team earned a No. 1 ranking in the country
	for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama era in the early
	1980s; beginning in the summer of 2023, Houston will compete in a
	Power 5 conference after its acceptance to join the Big 12
	Conference; and
	WHEREAS, For nearly a century, the University of Houston
	has contributed significantly to creating generation after
	generation of productive and responsible citizens; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
	Legislature, hereby recognize March 2, 2023, as University of
	Houston Day at the State Capitol and extend to all participants
	sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoyable visit.
	Miles
	Alvarado Creighton Middleton
	Bettencourt Huffman Whitmire
	____________________________________________________________
	Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate
	____________________________________________________________
	Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate
	____________________________________________________________
	Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate
	______________________________
	Member, Texas Senate
		______________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on March 1, 2023.
		______________________________
		Secretary of the Senate