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2000 SESSION

006412936
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 97
Offered January 19, 2000
Commending Paul E. Torgersen.
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WHEREAS, the end of the twentieth century will also mark the end of Paul E. Torgersen’s remarkable 33-year career of service to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and

WHEREAS, with degrees from Lehigh University and Ohio State University and following six years at Oklahoma State University, Paul Torgersen arrived in Blacksburg in 1967, and Virginia Tech has been the beneficiary of his presence ever since; and

WHEREAS, as professor, as dean, as administrator, and, for the past six years, as president of Virginia Tech, Paul Torgersen has been an integral part of Virginia Tech’s growth into a nationally respected academic and research university; and

WHEREAS, a professor of engineering, Paul Torgersen served as dean of the College of Engineering for 20 years; and

WHEREAS, following two stints as acting president, Paul Torgersen, who also holds the John W. Hancock, Jr., Chair in Engineering, was named Virginia Tech’s 14th president in 1994; and

WHEREAS, continuing on the record of his predecessors, Paul Torgersen has led Virginia Tech during a time of growth and increasing national recognition and respect, especially in the increasingly important information technology field; and

WHEREAS, always first and foremost a teacher, Paul Torgersen, the 1991-92 Sporn Award winner “in recognition of excellence in teaching of engineering subjects,” has continued to teach at least one course throughout his tenure as dean, administrator, and president of the university; and

WHEREAS, as president, Paul Torgersen oversaw the development of Virginia Tech’s updated University Plan, directed the merging of two colleges to form the College of Human Resources and Education, and spearheaded the formation of the Advanced Communications and Information Technology Center; and

WHEREAS, Paul Torgersen was also a dominant force in Virginia Tech’s recent capital campaign, using his excellent relations with university alumni and Virginia’s corporate leaders to help raise $337 million, far exceeding the campaign’s goal of $225 million; and

WHEREAS, throughout his exceptional 33-year career at Virginia Tech, Paul E. Torgersen has served the university with great distinction, and Virginia Tech’s unprecedented growth, success, and national reputation can be credited, in large part, to the uncommon abilities of its president; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Paul E. Torgersen for his exceptional career of service to Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Paul E. Torgersen as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and gratitude for his outstanding achievements, his dedication to teaching, and his visionary leadership of Virginia Tech.