89R12062 HMR-D
 
  By: Miles, et al. S.R. No. 66
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators,
  and members of the board of regents from the University of Houston
  are visiting Austin on February 11, 2025, to participate in
  University of Houston Day at the State Capitol; and
         WHEREAS, The Tier One university is located in the nation's
  fourth-largest city, and it serves students at instructional sites
  in Sugar Land and Katy as well as at the UH Technology Bridge; the
  institution is located 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
  46,600, including many first-generation college students, mirrors
  the rich cultural tapestry of Houston; and
         WHEREAS, Each year, the university awards over 11,000 degrees
  in 281 undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it now counts
  more than 332,900 alumni, many of whom stay in Texas, where they
  contribute to the success of our communities and state; and
         WHEREAS, In the 17th year under the leadership of 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 in
  four years, it has already graduated its first class of doctors and
  has a current enrollment of 210 students; and
         WHEREAS, The University of Houston is helping to improve the
  health of Texans, with one in four UH students enrolled in a
  health-related program; the university provides 450,000 hours of
  patient care in clinical and community settings annually in a
  variety of fields across Texas, and 85 percent of its graduates in
  health-related fields are employed in Texas; and
         WHEREAS, The university is home to 12 nationally funded
  research centers and 27 university research centers and institutes,
  and it has spent over $230 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 five NCAA Sweet Sixteen
  tournaments in a row; following in the footsteps of the previous
  year's team, the 2023-2024 team earned a No. 1 ranking in the
  country, generating nationwide support and excitement similar to
  the Phi Slama Jama era in the early 1980s; beginning in the summer
  of 2023, Houston now competes 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 89th Texas Legislature
  hereby recognize February 11, 2025, as University of Houston Day at
  the State Capitol and extend to all participants sincere best
  wishes for an informative and enjoyable visit.