October 13, 2005
No Bush Library for UT
By Karl-Thomas Musselman
The state's two largest higher education systems have both been passed over in the quest to find a home for the Bush II Presidential Library. Neither UT nor A&M made it to the final cut (not did the City of Arlington for what it's worth). Moving on will be Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Dallas and a group led by Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Statesman: Baylor has been working on its proposal for several years and has purchased more than 100 acres on the banks of the Brazos River as a potential site. Waco is also close to Bush's ranch in Crawford. Lubbock, meanwhile, is near where the president and first lady grew up. The president and first lady will make the final site selection.
The University of Texas proposal, put forth by the UT System, offered a 21-acre parcel along Austin's Town Lake or two sites in Dallas as possible locations for the library. In addition to the main site, a secondary conference center site at UT-San Antonio also was proposed.
Want to bet who ends up with this thing? UT's bid felt half-hearted from the beginning. I think they realized Bush wouldn't pick them anyways and people in Austin weren't interested in potentially having it at a site here. Yes, I understand about research and all, but I'd give that up to keep our city free of any complex devoted to this "miserable failure" of a presidency.
Posted by Karl-Thomas Musselman at October 13, 2005 06:21 PM
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I think Baylor is going to get it.
I think SMU will get it. It's the only school with any REAL ties to the couple, even though it's to Mrs. Bush. Plus they've also been working on their proposal for a long time.
Baylor and SMU are obviously the frontrunners. I would be surprised if anyone else is even strongly considered.
I'm betting on SMU. Bush will choose the institution most like him. SMU elevates appearances over accomplishments, produces an inferior product (at least as to their law students, whose work product I have had the misfortune to depend upon over the years), has apparently committed to creating a golden parachute job for Karl Rove and booted poor folks out of their university-owned apartment complexes (where some had lived for 20+ years) in order to make space for the Shrub Library. What other place could be more fitting?
Lisa, don't forget about SMU and the death penalty. just another thing SMU has in common with Bush.
Barring your "miserable failure of a presidency" comment which shows a complete lack of objectivity on your part, I believe Baylor University offers the best deal for the George W. Bush presidential library. Not only is Baylor capable of offering the most land and largest endowment of all the competing universities, but Baylor offers a central location that has made Waco a crucial facet of central Texas life. Right between Dallas and Austin on I-35 complementing the LBJ library in Austin and George H. W. Bush’s library in College Station, a new presidential library in Waco would create a “Presidential Triangle” in Texas, offering visitors the opportunity to visit all three without extensive travel and cost.
Having said that, have you seen the SMU campus in comparison to Baylor University’s campus? Simply stated, there is none.
