| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution designating April 5, 2006, as "The University |
| 3 | of Florida Day" in Tallahassee. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, the University of Florida, a member of the |
| 6 | prestigious American Association of Universities and one of the |
| 7 | 20 top-rated public universities in the nation, is home to some |
| 8 | of the country's top faculty members; has over 50 eminent |
| 9 | scholar chairs; and attracts some of the best students in the |
| 10 | nation, ranking first among universities worldwide in the |
| 11 | numbers of International Baccalaureate students who attend its |
| 12 | campus, and |
| 13 | WHEREAS, the university is Florida's leading research and |
| 14 | education institution, drawing $493 million in research grants |
| 15 | last fiscal year, offering more than 100 bachelor's degree |
| 16 | programs and more than 200 graduate and professional degree |
| 17 | programs, and producing the third highest number of doctor of |
| 18 | philosophy degrees in the nation, and |
| 19 | WHEREAS, the university, a major economic engine with an |
| 20 | economic ripple effect worth over $4 billion, is a major |
| 21 | developer of new technologies, disclosing 272 inventions, |
| 22 | licensing 66 technologies, and earning $40 million in licensing |
| 23 | revenue in 2005 alone; and companies based on its technologies |
| 24 | contribute nearly $500 million to Florida's economy annually, |
| 25 | and |
| 26 | WHEREAS, perhaps the best known invention to come out of |
| 27 | the university is Gatorade, the sports health drink that has |
| 28 | helped millions of athletes maintain peak performance and has |
| 29 | resulted in more than $120 million in royalties to the |
| 30 | university, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, the university is home to a student body that is |
| 32 | becoming increasingly diverse, with 10 percent of its freshmen |
| 33 | class African Americans and 14 percent Hispanic, and its |
| 34 | athletes are among the most talented in the nation, recently |
| 35 | attaining sixth place in national all-sports rankings to mark |
| 36 | the twenty-second straight year that the Gators have landed |
| 37 | among the top 10 in athletics, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 38 |
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| 39 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 40 | Florida: |
| 41 |
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| 42 | That the House of Representatives recognizes the singular |
| 43 | contributions of the University of Florida and designates April |
| 44 | 5, 2006, as "The University of Florida Day" in Tallahassee. |
| 45 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 46 | presented to Dr. J. Bernard Machen, President of the University |
| 47 | of Florida, as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed |
| 48 | herein. |