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November 16, 2009
Postscript on the Prop 4 vote
The statewide vote Nov. 4 on Proposition 4 shook out in some interesting ways. Prop 4 is the constitutional amendment that frees up about $500 million from a dormant higher education fund to help public emerging research universities shoot for the top tier. It passed 56.7 percent to 43.3 percent.
A political Web site and blog called gregsopinion.com has crunched the numbers and displayed them in a way that makes county-by-county comparisons easy.
One thing that jumps out is the sizable number of counties favoring the amendment in the Panhandle, South Texas and the Houston area. All of those regions have universities aspiring to become major national research institutions: Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Houston.
All of the other counties with tier-one aspirants also voted in favor of the amendment: El Paso (UT-El Paso), Denton (the University of North Texas), Dallas (UT-Dallas) and Tarrant (UT-Arlington). But much of the state’s midsection, pretty much running from west to east, voted against the measure, although there were exceptions such as Travis County.
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October 22, 2009
UT-El Paso, other tier-one aspirants rack up donations
Seven public universities in Texas that aspire to become tier-one research institutions have been pursuing donations vigorously. The University of Texas at El Paso is a case in point.
The Hunt Family Foundation recently contributed $1 million to establish an endowed chair in international business and to support the university’s Institute for Policy and Economic Development.
The donation is among six recent gifts, totaling $4.1 million, to UT-El Paso to enhance research and faculty recruitment. University officials said they expect to receive about $3 million in partial matching funds from the state under a program enacted by the Legislature this year and intended to reward tier-one aspirants for fundraising.
The other schools designated by the state as emerging research universities also have racked up millions of dollars in donations to be partially matched by the state. They are Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas and UT-San Antonio.
“We saw a valuable opportunity this year to support UTEP in its goal to achieve tier-one status and become a national research university,” said Woody Hunt, chairman of the Hunt Companies and affiliates and a former UT System regent. “Being a tier-one institution will raise UTEP’s profile significantly, and that, in turn, will enhance our region’s ability to compete more effectively, especially on the international level.”
Diana Natalicio, the university’s president, said, “Recognition as a national research university is UTEP’s top priority, and this program demonstrates the progress that can be made when the state’s priorities align with our own.”
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October 20, 2009
3 tier-one university leaders tout ballot proposal
The leaders of the state’s three tier-one universities — the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Rice University — have more or less endorsed Proposition 4, an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would free up about $500 million to help several public universities shoot for that lofty status.
I say “more or less” because the trio stopped short of a flat-out endorsement. But the letter they’ve written doesn’t leave much doubt as to their position.
“Significantly, Proposition 4 does not require any new taxes or bonds and puts to work money that today is not benefitting any Texas university,” write William Powers Jr., president of UT; David W. Leebron, president of Rice; and R. Bowen Loftin, interim president of A&M.
Early voting is under way, and Nov. 3 is election day.
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December 5, 2008
Hutchison wants more tier-one universities
If U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, runs for governor — and it’s looking more and more like she will — higher education promises to figure prominently in her campaign.
In particular, Hutchison says she wants to elevate some of the state’s institutions to flagship, or tier-one, status, a ranking currently enjoyed only by the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Rice University. Such schools, with their national profile and stout research programs, are engines of innovation and economic development.
Speaking to supporters on Thursday after launching an exploratory committee, the senator singled out higher education as a theme. She also emphasized the point in an interview with my colleague W. Gardner Selby, who covers politics:
As I go around the state, I intend to listen to people. But where I would start is from my experience in the Senate, I see that we don’t have enough tier-one institutions in Texas.
So one of my major themes will be more tier ones. California has nine, New York has seven and Texas has three. So of course we are losing many students that we could keep here if we had more tier ones to offer.
And I also want our tier ones to be even more enhanced. I want our tier ones to be rewarded for more research because that is one of the key components of tier one status, and I know that we can do more because it’s an area where I have been able to succeed … in Washington, increasing the federal investment in Texas research institutions.
Selby’s story on Hutchison’s latest political move is here.
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