Bill Text: TX HR222 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill 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.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2011-01-27 - Reported enrolled [HR222 Detail]

Download: Texas-2011-HR222-Introduced.html

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82R6712 MGR-D
By: Pena H.R. No. 222

R E S O L U T I O N
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.