TITLE: Recognizing March 1, 2017, as Texas Tech University System Day.

SUMMARY: Recognizing March 1, 2017, as Texas Tech University System Day.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Distinguished representatives of the Texas Tech University System are gathering at the State Capitol on March 1, 2017, to celebrate the system's vital role in the Lone Star State; and WHEREAS, The system, governed by a nine-member board of regents and Chancellor Robert L. Duncan, consists of Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso; the system is a $2 billion enterprise currently educating more than 51,000 students, conducting approximately $225 million in research expenditures annually, and counting nearly 325,000 alumni; the system also has an endowment of over $1 billion and some 20,000 faculty and staff who are focused on advancing higher education, health care, research, and outreach across the state; and WHEREAS, Each component of the system provides innovative educational and research opportunities; Texas Tech University is a major comprehensive research university led by President Lawrence Schovanec; by enrolling more than 36,000 students in 10 colleges and two schools, Texas Tech University has set a new fall enrollment record for the past eight years, an enrollment increase of 23 percent since 2007; with the goal of being one of the nation's premier research institutions, the university increased its total research expenditures to $166 million in 2016, which was up more than 20 percent since 2012; additionally, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education listed Texas Tech University in its Highest Research Activity category, elevating the university as one of 115 Tier One research institutions in the nation; and WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is composed of five schools in various health care disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, and biomedical sciences, and the center has trained more than 24,000 health care professionals; overseen by Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center enrolls more than 4,600 students and has dedicated more than $260 million in research expenditures in the past five years, with significant studies in such areas as aging, cancer, reproduction, and genetic diseases; the university also graduates more health care professionals than any other health-related institution in Texas and meets the health care needs of more than 2.7 million people who live throughout a vast 108-county area; and WHEREAS, Joining the system in 2007, Angelo State University enrolls more than 9,600 students in six colleges and is directed by President Brian J. May; designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, Angelo State University was the first university in the state to offer a degree in computer science and has been named to The Princeton Review 's Best Colleges list for the past eight consecutive years; what is unique to Angelo State University is its Carr Scholarship program, which is funded by one of the largest endowments at a regional university in the United States, thus making scholarships possible for one of every three of its students; and WHEREAS, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso became a stand-alone health science center in 2013, making it the fourth and newest member of the Texas Tech University System; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso is composed of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; headed by Dr. Richard Lange, the center has enrolled more than 600 students, is home to the first medical school on the nation's southern border, and conducts important research focused on cancer, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases, and the neurosciences; and WHEREAS, Through its missions, the Texas Tech University System and its four component institutions continue to better the higher education and health care landscapes, and in so doing, the system has contributed to the remarkable achievements of the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby recognize March 1, 2017, as Texas Tech University System Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to all those from the system who are visiting here today. Perry, Buckingham, Campbell, Rodr guez, Seliger, West Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 1, 2017.