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