SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 368
         WHEREAS, John Sharp is retiring as chancellor of The Texas
  A&M University System in 2025, following the longest tenure at
  the helm in the institution's history; and
 
         WHEREAS, Named chancellor in 2011, Mr. Sharp has
  transformed the System, which has grown to include 11
  universities and eight state agencies, and his efforts have
  earned him a place alongside such legendary Texas A&M leaders as
  Sul Ross and James Earl Rudder; he has raised the national
  profile of the flagship institution in College Station, which is
  now the nation's largest university with more than 79,000
  students; in 2013, the System acquired Texas Wesleyan
  University's law school, which became the Texas A&M University
  School of Law and climbed more than 100 places in just a decade to
  rank 26th among the law programs in the country; Chancellor Sharp
  oversaw nearly $12 billion in construction and the conversion of
  the Riverside Campus into Texas A&M-RELLIS, a 2,400-acre
  high-tech hub for defense research and testing; moreover, he
  energized Aggie football with a nearly half-billion-dollar
  expansion of Kyle Field and a move to the Southeastern
  Conference; athletic facilities throughout the System have been
  enhanced; and
 
         WHEREAS, The System today has more than $1 billion in
  research expenditures, and Texas A&M University holds the No. 1
  spot in engineering research expenditures; five of the System's
  universities have been awarded Research 2 status by the Carnegie
  Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing them
  among an elite group of leading research institutions and
  highlighting their commitment to innovation; the System has also
  seen an exponential increase in the number of faculty members who
  are members of the National Academies; and
 
         WHEREAS, Addressing the state's increasing energy needs,
  the System has announced plans to provide a platform for
  companies to test the latest nuclear reactors for increased power
  supply; further, the System continues to be part of the team that
  manages the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; in
  addition, it was chosen in 2024 by the U.S. Department of
  Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration as part of a
  group to manage and operate the Pantex Plant, which maintains the
  nation's nuclear weapons stockpile; and
 
         WHEREAS, Chancellor Sharp brought to his role more than
  three decades of experience in public office; he was elected to
  the Texas House in 1978 and four years later, he won a seat in the
  Texas Senate; subsequently, he was elected to the Texas Railroad
  Commission and was twice elected state comptroller, a position in
  which he created the Texas Performance Review, which identified
  and enacted a savings of $4 billion to the state, keeping Texans
  from having to pay a state income tax; a TAMU graduate and student
  body president, Mr. Sharp was a member of the Corps of Cadets
  staff and served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve;
  while employed by the Legislative Budget Board, he earned a
  master's degree in public administration from Texas State
  University; he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of TAMU in 2018;
  and
 
         WHEREAS, Admired for his vision, dynamism, and unyielding
  commitment to excellence, John Sharp has guided the Texas A&M
  System through an era of tremendous progress, and his
  accomplishments will yield ever-increasing benefits in the years
  to come; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
  Legislature, hereby honor John Sharp for his service as
  chancellor of The Texas A&M University System and extend to him
  sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
  prepared for Chancellor Sharp as an expression of high regard
  from the Texas Senate.
 
  Bettencourt
 
 
Alvarado Hall Middleton
 
Birdwell Hancock Miles
 
Blanco Hinojosa of Hidalgo Nichols
 
Campbell Hinojosa of Nueces Parker
 
Cook Huffman Paxton
 
Creighton Hughes Perry
 
Eckhardt Johnson Schwertner
 
Flores King Sparks
 
Gutierrez Kolkhorst West
 
Hagenbuch Menéndez Zaffirini
 
  Patrick, President of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on April 3, 2025.
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate