UT President Powers: Texas Needs More Top Tier Universities

by: Phillip Martin

Thu Jul 24, 2008 at 09:02 AM CDT

We'll do this in timeline style:

May 29, 2008 -- The Texas Legislative Study Group, a public policy group Chaired by Rep. Garnet Coleman, releases an eight-page study on the "State of Higher Education in Texas" -- which includes numerous lengthy, policy-based recommendations, including the following call for more Top Tier universities in Texas:

The state's investment in university research programs must be expanded, creating more tier-one institutions of higher learning to compete with other states - this would ease crowding at Texas' two flagship universities by increasing available slots of excellence for Texas students while bringing more industries and economic development to the state and creating jobs for Texans.

June 9, 2008: Dallas Morning News editorial titled, "Austin right to push Top Tier universities" reads:

The same higher-ed report declared another vital goal: building more Tier One universities in Texas. In doing so, the House's Legislative Study Group became the first panel of lawmakers to propose an approach for next year's lawmaking session.

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.

June 10 - July 2008: A steady stream of newspaper stories support an increase in higher education funding, as I documented here on Burnt Orange Report.

July 24, 2008: Article in today's Statesman titled, "UT president urges Texas to invest in more top-tier universities" includes the following:

The president of the University of Texas delivered an impassioned plea to state legislators Wednesday to provide the financial and political support for lifting one or two public universities to top-tier status.

[...]

"I think it'll take great leadership in the Legislature, the rest of government and on our campuses and (university) systems."

We agree, President Powers. And it's pretty clear what policy group -- and which political party -- has been willing to show that great leadership in the Legislature.

More Top Tier universities will do an incredible amount for the state of Texas. I'm going to close with the following argument from the LSG report that started it all:

Investment by the state serves as seed money. To qualify as tier one, a school needs to spend $100 million on research. After initial investments by the state, additional funding is drawn from federal and private grants as a return on the investment. Investment in research and development yields a 20 to 30 percent rate of return to the state in terms of jobs and economic stimulus.

Money begets money, and the state’s additional investment in institutions of higher education would not only greatly expand the possibilities for students, resulting in a better educated populace, but would help the state maintain a competitive economic edge in technology and human capital in the 21st century.