Texas HR 223: Congratulating Christina H. Koch on completing the longest spaceflight by a female astronaut.

Bill Text

89(R) HR 223 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

  

  

  
 H.R. No. 223

  

  

   

 R E S O L U T I O N

   

        WHEREAS, Students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators, 

  

 and members of the board of regents from the University of Houston 

  

 are visiting Austin on February 11, 2025, to participate in 

  

 University of Houston Day at the State Capitol; and

  

        WHEREAS, The Tier One university is located in the nation's 

  

 fourth-largest city, and it serves students at instructional sites 

  

 in Sugar Land and Katy as well as at the UH Technology Bridge; the 

  

 institution is located within a region that is home to a quarter of 

  

 the state's population and that generates nearly a third of the 

  

 state's gross product; the student body, numbering more than 

  

 46,600, including many first-generation college students, mirrors 

  

 the rich cultural tapestry of Houston; and

  

        WHEREAS, Each year, the university awards over 11,000 degrees 

  

 in 281 undergraduate and graduate academic programs; it now counts 

  

 more than 332,900 alumni, many of whom stay in Texas, where they 

  

 contribute to the success of our communities and state; and

  

        WHEREAS, In the 17th year under the leadership of president 

  

 Renu Khator, the University of Houston has set its sights on being 

  

 ranked among our country's top 50 public universities, which will 

  

 be achieved as a result of rapidly improving graduation rates, the 

  

 ability to improve the social mobility of its students, and the 

  

 recognition of the research excellence of its faculty; and

  

        WHEREAS, The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, 

  

 established after the passage of H.B. 826 during the 86th Texas 

  

 Legislative Session, was founded on a social mission to improve 

  

 health in underserved communities in Houston and across Texas; the 

  

 college emphasizes the importance primary care plays in the health 

  

 of all Texans, especially in urban and rural communities, and in 

  

 four years, it has already graduated its first class of doctors and 

  

 has a current enrollment of 210 students; and

  

        WHEREAS, The University of Houston is helping to improve the 

  

 health of Texans, with one in four UH students enrolled in a 

  

 health-related program; the university provides 450,000 hours of 

  

 patient care in clinical and community settings annually in a 

  

 variety of fields across Texas, and 85 percent of its graduates in 

  

 health-related fields are employed in Texas; and

  

        WHEREAS, The university is home to 12 nationally funded 

  

 research centers and 27 university research centers and institutes, 

  

 and it has spent over $230 million in research expenditures 

  

 annually, mainly in the critical areas of cyber- and national 

  

 security, drug discovery and development, sustainable communities 

  

 and infrastructure, and accessible health care; and

  

        WHEREAS, The University of Houston athletics competes in 17 

  

 different sports with more than 400 student-athletes; several of 

  

 the athletic teams have represented the university on the national 

  

 stage, including the Cougar men's basketball team led by head coach 

  

 Kelvin Sampson that has advanced to five NCAA Sweet Sixteen 

  

 tournaments in a row; following in the footsteps of the previous 

  

 year's team, the 2023-2024 team earned a No. 1 ranking in the 

  

 country, generating nationwide support and excitement similar to 

  

 the Phi Slama Jama era in the early 1980s; beginning in the summer 

  

 of 2023, Houston now competes in a Power 5 conference after its 

  

 acceptance to join the Big 12 Conference; and

  

        WHEREAS, For nearly a century, the University of Houston has 

  

 contributed significantly to creating generation after generation 

  

 of productive and responsible citizens; now, therefore, be it

  

        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas 

  

 Legislature hereby recognize February 11, 2025, as University of 

  

 Houston Day at the State Capitol and extend to all participants 

   

 sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoy