Bill Text: TX HR119 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled

Texas House Resolution 119 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Congratulating Dr. Diana Natalicio on her retirement as president of UT-El Paso.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)

Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Reported enrolled [HR119 Detail]

Download: Texas-2019-HR119-Enrolled.html



	H.R. No. 119



	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Diana Natalicio announced her retirement as
	president of The University of Texas at El Paso in May 2018, and as
	she prepares to conclude her remarkable three-decade tenure in
	office, it is indeed fitting to recognize her enormous
	accomplishments; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Natalicio joined the UTEP faculty as an
	assistant professor of linguistics in 1971; she rose to become
	chair of the modern languages department, dean of the College of
	Liberal Arts, and vice president for academic affairs before her
	appointment as president in 1988; and
	WHEREAS, Committed to expanding access to higher education,
	Dr. Natalicio has skillfully guided the growth of enrollment from
	15,000 to more than 25,000; the school's demographics now reflect
	those of the predominantly Hispanic Paso del Norte region, and many
	students are the first in their families to attend college; over the
	past 30 years, UTEP's budget has increased from $65 million to more
	than $500 million; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Natalicio has also focused on improving the
	quality and breadth of academics and research; when she took the
	helm, UTEP had a single doctoral program; today, it offers 22, and
	the institution's reputation for excellence has helped capture
	significant research funding, including more than $94 million
	annually from such agencies as the U.S. Department of Energy, the
	National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Environmental
	Protection Agency; the university has designated nearly $400
	million to build and renovate facilities for science, engineering,
	and health sciences, as well as infrastructure related to student
	quality of life; in 2018, UTEP launched a new binational academic
	partnership with a leading research institution in Mexico, the
	Universidad Tecnológica de Ciudad Juárez; and
	WHEREAS, An acclaimed leader in higher education,
	Dr. Natalicio was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the
	National Science Board and by President George H. W. Bush to the
	Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic
	Americans; she has served on the boards of numerous organizations,
	among them the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Rockefeller
	Foundation, Trinity Industries, Sandia Corporation, the
	U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science, and the American Council on
	Education; in 2017, she was named one of Fortune magazine's Top 50
	World Leaders, and the previous year, Time magazine ranked her
	among the 100 most influential people in the world; her other honors
	include the Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation
	of New York and the Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca, the highest
	recognition Mexico accords foreign nationals; she holds a
	bachelor's degree from St. Louis University and both a master's
	degree in Portuguese and a doctoral degree in linguistics from The
	University of Texas at Austin; and
	WHEREAS, Diana Natalicio has elevated the national profile of
	UTEP while making the university more responsive to the needs of
	residents of the Paso del Norte region, striking a balance few
	institutions have achieved, and her tremendous contributions to
	higher education will continue to resonate for decades to come;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
	Legislature hereby commend Diana Natalicio for her exemplary
	service as president of The University of Texas at El Paso and
	extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Dr. Natalicio as an expression of high regard by the
	Texas House of Representatives.

	Ortega
	Moody
	González of El Paso
	Blanco
	Fierro

	______________________________
	Speaker of the House

	I certify that H.R. No. 119 was adopted by the House on
	February
	13, 2019, by a non-record vote.

	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House