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2009 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 798
Commending Eugene P. Trani.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 27, 2009
Agreed to by the Senate, January 29, 2009

 

WHEREAS, Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., the president of Virginia Commonwealth University and the president and chairman of the board of directors of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, will retire on June 30, 2009, after 19 years of exemplary service to the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Eugene Trani graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from Indiana University; and

WHEREAS, after serving as vice president for academic affairs and professor of history for the University of Wisconsin System, Dr. Trani joined Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1990 to become its distinguished and admired fourth president; and

WHEREAS, as president, Dr. Trani has led VCU through an unprecedented period of physical expansion and academic development, transforming it into the largest university in Virginia and one of the most acclaimed and highly respected urban research institutions in the nation; and

WHEREAS, during Dr. Trani’s remarkable tenure, VCU’s enrollment of full- and part-time students has increased by 47 percent from 21,764 in 1990 to more than 32,000 in 2008, and the full-time student population has increased by more than 60 percent over the past 10 years; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Trani led the way for the creation of the VCU Health System, a merger of the clinical activities of Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Hospitals, MCV Physicians, and VCU’s School of Medicine; and

WHEREAS, the VCU Health System during Dr. Trani’s tenure has consistently provided quality health care for nearly 30 percent of the indigent patients in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, in 2002 Dr. Trani sought and received legislative approval to create the VCU School of Medicine INOVA Campus, which now provides medical education to a total of 48 third-year and fourth-year medical students; and

WHEREAS, through personal perseverance and commitment, Dr. Trani established and chaired the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park Corporation and Authority Board, which has ultimately resulted in the construction of more than 1.2 million square feet of biotechnology research space on a 34-acre downtown campus with satellite parks in surrounding localities employing more than 2,000 people; and

WHEREAS, from 1990 through the present, VCU and the VCU Health System have undergone more than $2.2 billion in capital construction and renovation projects under Dr. Trani’s guidance, with more than half of the projects being funded by university or hospital resources and private donations; and

WHEREAS, in 1998 Dr. Trani established, in conjunction with the Qatar Foundation, VCUQatar, which offers a bachelor of fine arts degree in fashion design, graphic design, and interior design; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Trani has been a valuable asset in the implementation of VCU’s 1996 and 2004 master plans that have provided exceptional new academic, medical, housing, recreation, and parking facilities, including VCU Life Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Nursing, Goodwin Research Laboratory at the Massey Cancer Center, Monroe Park Campus Addition, and the newly opened VCU Critical Care Hospital; and

WHEREAS, due to Dr. Trani’s innovative leadership, the VCU 2020 Vision for Excellence strategic plan was adopted in 2006 to enhance the student experience and further build the university’s research enterprise, and consequently VCU-sponsored research has grown from $90 million in 1997 to nearly $230 million in 2008; research technology has resulted in more than 30 start-up companies, 230 patents, and annual revenue from royalties and fees of nearly $2 million; and

WHEREAS, during Dr. Trani’s presidency, VCU has established partnerships with 16 universities around the world in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Central and South America, and Asia, most with academic medical centers; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Trani is most proud of VCU’s vital relationships with its neighbors, generous supporters, and alumni and its many productive collaborations with the business community and city, local, state, and federal governments; and

WHEREAS, throughout his presidency, Dr. Trani has selflessly given his time and vast expertise to numerous community leadership organizations, serving as chair of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond Renaissance, now Venture Richmond; and

WHEREAS, receiving countless awards and accolades over the years, Dr. Trani has been honored for his commitment to quality higher education in Virginia by many civic and professional entities such as CEOs for Cities, Central Richmond Association, National Community Leadership Association, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Virginia Holocaust Museum, Greater Richmond Technology Council, Virginia Biotechnology Association, Association of University Research Parks, Richmond Joint Engineers Council, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Arthritis Foundation; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to his profession as an educator, Dr. Trani will remain as University Distinguished Professor at VCU; and

WHEREAS, a dynamic president with a great and progressive vision for Virginia and its higher education goals, Dr. Trani has expanded the mission of VCU so that it has become a major catalyst in the academic, economic, and cultural life of Metropolitan Richmond and the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Eugene P. Trani on his 19 years of outstanding leadership as the president of Virginia Commonwealth University and the president and chairman of the board of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Eugene P. Trani as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his many achievements and best wishes in all his future endeavors.