HR481 - Honoring President Richard C. Benson for his service to The University of Texas at Dallas and the field of higher education.

      H.R. No. 481       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, The University of Texas at Dallas has greatly   benefited from the visionary leadership of President Richard C.   Benson, who has guided the institution over the past eight years;   and          WHEREAS, In his role at UTD's helm, Dr. Benson has launched   ambitious fundraising endeavors, including the New Dimensions   campaign, which has amassed more than $415 million to date; he has   also overseen tens of millions of dollars in research expenditures,   and his tenure has coincided with the advancement of several   significant campus projects, including the opening of the Texas   Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building and the   breaking of ground on the 12-acre Athenaeum cultural district; and          WHEREAS, Dr. Benson earned his bachelor's degree in aerospace   and mechanical science from Princeton University in 1973, his   master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of   Virginia in 1974, and his doctorate in mechanical engineering from   the University of California, Berkeley, in 1977; prior to the start   of his career in higher education, he was employed with the Xerox   Corporation; in 1980, he became a professor of mechanical   engineering at the University of Rochester, where he later served   as an associate dean and chair of the Department of Mechanical   Engineering; and          WHEREAS, While at Penn State from 1995 to 2005, Dr. Benson   headed the Department of Mechanical Engineering, later renamed the   Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering; he also served as   dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech from 2005 to   2016, during which time that department achieved record growth; and          WHEREAS, Dr. Benson has been honored on many occasions by the   American Society of Mechanical Engineers, of which he has been a   Fellow since 1998; he received ASME's Henry Hess Award in 1984, and   in 2009, he was elected to a three-year term on the organization's   board of governors; he has further held editorial positions with   several ASME publications, including its Journal of Applied   Mechanics ; and          WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure as president, Dr. Richard   Benson has worked tirelessly to elevate UTD's status as a   first-rate research university and a premier institution of higher   learning, and his achievements will continue to be appreciated for   many years to come; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby honor President Richard C. Benson for his   outstanding service to The University of Texas at Dallas and the   field of higher education and extend to him sincere best wishes for   the future; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for Dr. Benson as an expression of high regard by the Texas   House of Representatives.     Plesa     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 481 was adopted by the House on March   31, 2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House