SR26 - Recognizing Richard C. Benson for his service to the University of Texas at Dallas and to the field of higher education.

          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 26          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 Senate of the State of Texas, 89th   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 from the   Texas Senate.     Johnson, Hall, Hancock   Parker, Paxton, West           ____________________________________________________________         Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate         ____________________________________________________________         Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate         ____________________________________________________________         Member, Texas Senate               Member, Texas Senate                 ______________________________         President of the Senate                I hereby certify that the     above Resolution was adopted by     the Senate on February 4, 2025.                 ______________________________         Secretary of the Senate