I understand that our elected officials are working hard to control state spending, but Texas is ranked 35th out of 50 states in the percentage of citizens with a college education. Only 24.5% of Texans age 25 or older are college graduates, and the current projection by the Texas State Data Center is for that figure to decline by 2040. Texans deserve better. We need to increase higher education capacity, and we need to fund excellence at the state's existing national research universities. In the months ahead I'll be repeating this message around the state.
While Powers is correct in noting that educational capacity must be increased in all of the state's public colleges and universities, one thought expressed in the email is in conflict with the thinking of the LSG and what Texas needs to become a world-class state in the higher education arena: We need to increase higher education capacity, and we need to fund excellence at the state's existing national research universities. [Emphasis added] Technically, it appears that Powers is referring to the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University-College Station. That isn't surprising considering the fact that the leaders of these universities have a desire to protect their status as educational leaders in Texas. However, it is short-sighted. Funding excellence only at the state's existing national research universities doesn't help Texas and Texas students as much as what the LSG proposes, which is increasing the number of Tier One universities in Texas. Rep. Coleman noted in a previous interview:
In Texas, there are schools now like Texas Tech in Lubbock, the University of Houston in Houston, and the University of Texas in Dallas. Clearly, you would want to work toward UTSA becoming a Tier-One university to serve South Texas, as well as UT El Paso. Also, the University of North Texas. There are many schools, and they are in the report, where their research level is at such a point that, with an investment in additional research which would create more grant funding, they would rise to the different tiers very quickly. Oddly, aside from the fleeting mention of "existing national research universities" at the top of Power's email, he doesn't mention or dwell on it much. Could that be because the case supporting maintaining only two "Tier One" universities in Texas is weak? State Rep. Coleman notes that, in a state as large and populous as Texas, that, with investment only going to existing Tier One universities, the state will soon "outstrip" our capacity as our population increases. In considering President Powers' remarks, one must look at the full picture, and that includes the Top Ten Percent Law, which has, over the years, led to complaints that there are not enough slots for eligible freshmen in Tier One institutions--A&M and UT Austin. Rep. Coleman summed up a solution in a nutshell in an earlier interview: The problem is not with the Top Ten Percent Law; the problem is not enough slots of excellence compared to both smaller and larger states. Really, the program is not a problem. The problem is that there are not enough Tier One universities and not enough freshman slots for those who want to seek excellence. The goal is to improve excellence at as many of the universities as we can so that they rank in that top category. As I said, if you look at California, they have 10 public universities that are Tier One. We have two. If you look at other states that have half the population [of Texas], they have six. What we are saying is that the problem is not the Top 10 Percent Law–the problem is that there is not enough investment in infrastructure for higher education to provide the appropriate number of slots for excellence because we are not investing in creating Tier One institutions. The bottom line is this: if we want Texas to be "first," and we want Texas to be a leader in everything from the medical field to the space program, having only two "Tier One" public universities should be unacceptable to every Texan no matter what their political persuasion. Editorial Boards are already echoing the LSG's call. To wit, the Dallas Morning News: The argument is student-focused, an important perspective. With only two top-tier public universities – the University of Texas and Texas A&M – the state can't accommodate the growing number of high-achieving students looking for a selective university with research-rich doctoral programs. Automatic admissions under the top 10 percent law put particular pressure on both schools.
In addition to the immediate academic impact that the lack of additional Tier One universities has on the state, the lack of additional Tier One institutions also has economic implications for various regions of the state:
The Dallas-Fort Worth area's economic vitality has been handicapped by the absence of a world-class research university. Following years of talk, the region's leadership must come to grips with this void and converge on a strategy to fill it.
The goal should be clear: a Tier One university, as defined by measures including admission to the exclusive, 62-member Association of American Universities. All are characterized by intensive research, elite faculty, selective admissions and strong endowments.
Austin has one Tier One (UT). College Station has one (A&M). Houston has one (Rice).
Dallas-Fort Worth has none.
The time has passed for UT and Texas A&M to be hostile to the idea of creating more Tier One institutions. On the contrary. As President Powers has shown tremendous leadership with today's email calling for increasing funding for higher education capacity, so too should the leaders of these universities openly call for the establishment of additional Tier One institutions. |
