HR658 - Honoring John Sharp for his service as chancellor of The Texas A&M University System.

      H.R. No. 658       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, John Sharp is retiring as chancellor of The Texas   A&M University System in 2025, following the longest tenure at the   helm in the institution's history; and          WHEREAS, Named chancellor in 2011, Mr. Sharp has transformed   the System, which has grown to include 11 universities and eight   state agencies, and his efforts have earned him a place alongside   such legendary Texas A&M leaders as Sul Ross and James Earl Rudder;   he has raised the national profile of the flagship institution in   College Station, which is now the nation's largest university with   more than 79,000 students; in 2013, the System acquired Texas   Wesleyan University's law school, which became the Texas A&M   University School of Law and climbed more than 100 places in just a   decade to rank 26th among the law programs in the country;   Chancellor Sharp oversaw nearly $12 billion in construction and the   conversion of the Riverside Campus into Texas A&M-RELLIS, a   2,400-acre high-tech hub for defense research and testing;   moreover, he energized Aggie football with a nearly   half-billion-dollar expansion of Kyle Field and a move to the   Southeastern Conference; athletic facilities throughout the System   have been enhanced; and          WHEREAS, The System today has more than $1 billion in   research expenditures, and Texas A&M University holds the No. 1   spot in engineering research expenditures; five of the System's   universities have been awarded Research 2 status by the Carnegie   Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing them   among an elite group of leading research institutions and   highlighting their commitment to innovation; the System has also   seen an exponential increase in the number of faculty members who   are members of the National Academies; and          WHEREAS, Addressing the state's increasing energy needs, the   System has announced plans to provide a platform for companies to   test the latest nuclear reactors for increased power supply;   further, the System continues to be part of the team that manages   the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; in addition, it   was chosen in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Energy's National   Nuclear Security Administration as part of a group to manage and   operate the Pantex Plant, which maintains the nation's nuclear   weapons stockpile; and          WHEREAS, Chancellor Sharp brought to his role more than three   decades of experience in public office; he was elected to the Texas   House in 1978 and four years later, he won a seat in the Texas   Senate; subsequently, he was elected to the Texas Railroad   Commission and was twice elected state comptroller, a position in   which he created the Texas Performance Review, which identified and   enacted a savings of $4 billion to the state, keeping Texans from   having to pay a state income tax; a TAMU graduate and student body   president, Mr. Sharp was a member of the Corps of Cadets staff and   served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; while   employed by the Legislative Budget Board, he earned a master's   degree in public administration from Texas State University; he was   named a Distinguished Alumnus of TAMU in 2018; and          WHEREAS, Admired for his vision, dynamism, and unyielding   commitment to excellence, John Sharp has guided the Texas A&M   System through an era of tremendous progress, and his   accomplishments will yield ever-increasing benefits in the years to   come; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby honor John Sharp for his service as chancellor   of The Texas A&M University System 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 Chancellor Sharp as an expression of high regard by the   Texas House of Representatives.     Dyson Buckley   Leo Wilson Ashby   Kitzman Curry   Guillen Hayes   Jones of Dallas Orr   Patterson Richardson   Vasut           Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw   Alders Guillen Morgan   Allen Harless Muñoz   Anchía Harris Noble   Ashby Harris Davila Olcott   Barry Harrison Oliverson   Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz   Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr   Bernal Hernandez Patterson   Bhojani Hickland Paul   Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso   Bowers Holt Perez of Harris   Bryant Hopper Phelan   Buckley Howard Pierson   Bucy Hull Plesa   Bumgarner Hunter Raymond   Button Isaac Reynolds   Cain Johnson Richardson   Campos Jones of Dallas Rodríguez Ramos   Canales Jones of Harris Romero   Capriglione Kerwin Rose   Cole King Rosenthal   Collier Kitzman Schatzline   Cook LaHood Schofield   Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft   Craddick Lambert Shaheen   Cunningham Landgraf Shofner   Curry Leach Simmons   Darby Leo Wilson Slawson   A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee   Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller   Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson   DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico   Dorazio Louderback Tepper   Dutton Lowe Thompson   Dyson Lozano Tinderholt   Fairly Lujan Toth   Flores Luther Troxclair   Frank Manuel Turner   Gámez Martinez VanDeaver   Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut   Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos   Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell   Gates Metcalf Vo   Gerdes Meyer Walle   Geren Meza Ward Johnson   Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton   González of Dallas Moody Wilson   González of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu   Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 658 was adopted by the House on April 3,   2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House