TITLE: Honoring Dr. Robert S. Nelsen, president of The University of Texas-Pan American, for his contributions to higher education in the Lone Star State.

SUMMARY: Honoring Dr. Robert S. Nelsen, president of The University of Texas-Pan American, for his contributions to higher education in the Lone Star State.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Dr. Robert S. Nelsen, the president of The University of Texas-Pan American, is an outstanding educator and administrator, and he is most deserving of special recognition for his many notable accomplishments; and WHEREAS, Raised on a cattle ranch in Montana, Robert Nelsen was the first person in his family to attend college; in order to pay his tuition, he held a variety of jobs and at one point worked overnight as a janitor while attending classes during the day and holding down another job at a sporting goods store; even then, he was forced by financial difficulties to leave school for a year, but his wife, Jody, helped convince him to return to his studies; he went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Brigham Young University and received his doctorate from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, studying with Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow and specializing in modern literature, modern philosophy, and modern political theory; and WHEREAS, Dr. Nelsen is fluent in Spanish and has published his fiction in numerous literary journals; a Texas resident since 1990, he was a professor at The University of Texas at Dallas, where he initiated the school's creative writing program and nurtured the development of an arts and humanities curriculum; in addition, he won the Chancellor's Council Outstanding Teaching Award in 2005, served five terms as head of the faculty senate, and held the position of vice provost; he then accepted a position as the associate vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he also served as a professor of English; and WHEREAS, This respected scholar was appointed the eighth president of The University of Texas-Pan American on January 1, 2010; with an academic philosophy devoted to transparency and shared governance, he has laid out his goals for the university in the coming years, focusing on advanced manufacturing and engineering, bilingual education, border issues, entrepreneurship, and research into health care disparities; and WHEREAS, With his proven leadership ability and extensive experience, Dr. Robert Nelsen is uniquely qualified to build on the record of academic achievement established by The University of Texas-Pan American and to further its enduring commitment to excellence; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby honor Dr. Robert S. Nelsen, president of The University of Texas-Pan American, for his contributions to higher education in the Lone Star State and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Dr. Nelsen as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Pena Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 222 was adopted by the House on January 27, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House