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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 118
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WHEREAS, The students, faculty, and staff of Our Lady of |
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the Lake University in San Antonio are celebrating the school's |
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130th anniversary on February 22, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, Founded by the Sisters of the Congregation of |
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Divine Providence, OLLU was built on a parcel of land gifted to |
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the order by Mayor Henry Elmendorf; construction on its main |
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building broke ground on August 14, 1895, and it opened a year |
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later as Our Lady of the Lake Academy, an all-girls high |
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school; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1911, the school transitioned into Our Lady of |
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the Lake College, a two-year program for women; it awarded its |
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first bachelor's degree in 1912, and by 1919, it had expanded |
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into a four-year program and earned membership in the Texas |
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Association of Colleges; over the course of the ensuing decade, |
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it became the first San Antonio institution of higher education |
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to receive regional accreditation and the third Texas school to |
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be approved by the American Association of Universities; and |
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WHEREAS, The college's programs were made fully |
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coeducational in 1969, and it was renamed Our Lady of the Lake |
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University of San Antonio in 1975; the school introduced its |
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weekend college program that same decade, becoming the first in |
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the region to offer adult students the option to complete a |
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degree while maintaining full-time employment; the program was |
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later expanded to the university's Houston and Rio Grande Valley |
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campuses; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 2000s, OLLU saw the establishment of its |
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first athletic programs, as well as renovations to its main |
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building and the adjacent Lake Elmendorf Park; the school was |
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designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber |
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Defense Education in 2017; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Our Lady of the Lake serves nearly 2,000 |
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students and offers more than 70 undergraduate, 15 graduate, and |
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4 doctoral programs across its three campuses; it benefits from |
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the leadership of President Abel A. Chávez, and since his |
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appointment in 2022, the school has raised more than $31 million, |
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launched new programs, and created additional scholarships; and |
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WHEREAS, For well over a century, Our Lady of the Lake |
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University has provided its students with an education that has |
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enriched them both academically and personally, and in so doing, |
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it has made important contributions to Texas and the world |
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beyond; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th |
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Legislature, hereby commemorate the 130th anniversary of Our |
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Lady of the Lake University and extend to all those associated |
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with the institution sincere best wishes for the future; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
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prepared for OLLU as an expression of high regard from the |
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Texas Senate. |
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Menéndez |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 20, 2025. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |