UT SYSTEM GIVES HIDALCO COUNTY THE NOD, SPUTNIK FOR BROWNTOWN

By Juan Montoya

As the University of Texas System considers the site for the "new super-duper" university, Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed McAllen resident Ernest Aliseda to the Board of Regents, further fueling speculation that Hidalgo County will be the headquarters in South Texas and Brownsville will be relegated as a satellite to the new institution.
Even as UTB President Juliet Garcia pleads before the Texas Legislature for million in support, it is obvious that the political momentum has drifted upriver and Juliet is left dangling and trying to find a lifeline. 

Meanwhile, the regents are also deciding where the new University of Texas new campus will be; whether they will take a patchwork of properties donated to them by the city and owners of large real estate holdings downtown or to move out toward north Brownsville and buy large contiguous acreage they say they need to establish an independent campus.

So far, the City of Brownsville - through Mayor Tony Martinez - has offered to "donate" at east 76 acres of land to the UT System if it stays downtown. Martinez and downtown property owners hope UT will heed their offer and say that if Texas southmost College cooperates and sells the UT System some of its real estate at "reasonable" prices.

"Reasonable," however, is in the eye of the beholder.

"They want to buy some of the buildings from us at construction prices that were paid years ago," said a trustee. "Our responsibility is to protect the taxpayers of the college district and not give away its assets."

Meanwhile, State Representative Rene Oliveira's bill to establish the new university is making its way through the Texas House of Representatives. with typical hucksterism when it comes to his lama mater, Oliveria says his bill will establish the new “super university” and merge existing schools.

“While the bill administratively reorganizes our two universities, their campuses, and the RAHC (Regional Area Health Center), people have many questions about how things will work. Those questions run the gamut from who will decide the name to when can students enroll in the medical school,” Oliveira said in a statement. 

This past Wednesday, Oliveira testified in front of the House Higher Education Committee regarding the details in the bill. One thing that Oliveira's bill does not do is establish where the new university will be located, but it sets up a panel of experts that will make recommendations to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. He said that it will take anywhere from 18 to 24 months for the transition to a super university to occur.Then, on Thursday, the Regents met Thursday to discuss land proposals submitted by Martinez for the location of the future UTB campus.

There are 12 land proposals are spread throughout the Brownsville area, with six of those options north of Alton Gloor and all the way up to north of Rancho Viejo. The regents late August asked for submissions on options with 200 to 400 acres of land for use as the future campus of the University of Texas at Brownsville.

Like many other TSC district residents, Brownsville City Commissioner Ricardo Longoria Jr. believes the university should stay downtown after the community has contributed at the minimum $1 billion in "transfers" to the UTB throughout the 22 years of the UTB-TSC "partnership."

 He told the Brownsville Herald that it was the least the UT system could do, given the community's generosity.

“When you’ve had an entity like this that you work with them for over 22 years, it’s really hard for them to say we’re picking up and going elsewhere,” Longoria said. “I think that this community has done a lot for them and they need to take that into consideration.”

Meanwhile, as he and UTB President have done before, UTB Provost Alan Artibise said the ball is in the TSC board of trustees' court, saying that the only way the university can stay at its existing campus is if an agreement is reached with TSC after the "partnership" ends.

However, that may be small peanuts now that Aliseda has been named to the board of regents and he will be looked at by the other board members to give his opinion on how the UT System pie will be allotted in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Valley Morning Star reported that he plans to approach the position as an advocate for the entire state, but that the system can play a role in transforming the economy of South Texas.

He will seek confirmation in the Texas Senate and will be championed by state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, to discuss his assistance in the confirmation process.

Let's see, now. Aliseda is from McAllen. Chuy Hinojosa is from McAllen. So where do you think the goodies will go to?