HONORING TEXAS-24 HOMETOWN HERO DR. RICHARD BENSON

HONORING TEXAS-24 HOMETOWN HERO DR. RICHARD BENSON

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E29] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING TEXAS-24 HOMETOWN HERO DR. RICHARD BENSON ______ HON. BETH VAN DUYNE of texas in the house of representatives Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Ms. VAN DUYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Dr. Richard Benson, president of The University of Texas at Dallas. In 1980, Dr. Benson began his career in higher education as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester. He quickly progressed, serving as the dean for graduate studies in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. After, he spent 10 years heading the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Penn State, as well as 11 years as dean of Virginia Tech's College of Engineering. In 2016, Dr. Benson became the fifth president of The University of Texas at Dallas and has spent the past eight years overseeing monumental campus and academic growth. His tenure at UT Dallas has seen the construction of two million square feet of new buildings, including the Callier Center for Communication Disorders, Engineering and Computer Science West, Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, Brain Performance Institute, and two new student housing complexes. Additionally, Dr. Benson has elevated the university's innovative research by expanding its partnership with UT Southwestern Medical Center and opening a 150,000 square foot Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building. Under his leadership, UT Dallas has experienced record enrollments, expanded its sports program, and has been recognized as a top value college by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes, enhancing the university's reputation as an educational powerhouse in North Texas. I thank Dr. Benson for consistently leading with integrity and passion during his more than four decades of guiding and inspiring young minds. ____________________