The Texas Observer
The proposed merger of three University of Texas campuses in the Rio Grande Valley has far-reaching financial implications. You should be rooting for the Texas Legislature to pass a bill that would combine the campuses of the University of Texas-Brownsville, University of Texas-Pan American and the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, operated by the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The new institution would provide educational opportunities to a long underserved region at a time when ignoring the need for higher education in the Valley could soon burden the state’s economy.
The stakes for Texas’ economy are high. Steve Murdock, the former director of the U.S. Census Bureau and ex-state demographer, has estimated that undereducated Hispanics could cost Texas $11.4 billion annually in lost tax revenue by 2050.
Alternatively, closing the earning gap between Anglos and minorities, he said, could, by 2050, increase average annual household income in Texas by $16,000. The solution: better education for Texas’ minority population. The Rio Grande Valley, where roughly 90 percent of the residents are Hispanic, is the place to start.
As UT-Pan Am President Robert S. Nelsen told the Observer in March, “If we don’t get it right in South Texas, we don’t get it right in this nation and we especially don’t get it right in this state.”
Hispanics now comprise a majority of the kids in Texas public schools, and Nelsen says they make up 89 percent of the student body at UT-Pan Am.
Still, only 4.6 percent of all Texas Hispanics were enrolled in college in 2011, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. That’s compared to 7 percent of African-Americans and 5.6 percent of Anglos.
That could soon change. The bill to create a premier university in the Valley won unanimous support from the Texas House and easily passed the Senate but hasn’t yet won final passage.
The new institution would remain part of the University of Texas system and would become eligible for funds from a public endowment called the Permanent University Fund. The new university could also access the $50 million Institute for Transformational Learning, a part of the University of Texas System that bills itself as “promoting innovation” and funds online learning programs throughout the UT System.
Nelsen says that technology is a big part of the merged university’s future. “We’ve thought a lot about virtual classrooms. We’re doing more and more online and hybrid classes because of the great demand.” Online courses can be especially beneficial for working students or students who have children.
This year the school added masters of business administration and masters of public administration programs to four others already online, and the school has plans to do the same next year for special education and nursing programs.
The merger brings with it the plan to create a long-sought medical school at the Harlingen campus. “If you look at what happened at the UT Health Center San Antonio,” Nelsen said, “in 22 years, it generated over $18 billion in economic impact. Just creating a $98 million science building will have a $134 million impact. It will bring 125 extra jobs to the Valley.” That’s welcome news, because one downside to the merger is the loss of some jobs at the merging schools. UT-Brownsville recently notified about 250 employees that they no longer will have a job come August.
The newly formed university will also get access to a University of Texas funding program that provides allotments to attract top teaching talent.
All of which could lead the new university to become an emerging research facility. “I think this merger is an economic engine for the Valley and for the state,” Nelsen told me. It’s a long-overdue investment in higher education in one of the state’s most ignored areas—and hopefully will provide Texas an economic boost. If the bill passes, the merged university would be a win for the Valley and potentially a win for the rest of the state too.
(Cindy Casares is a columnist for the Texas Observer. She is also the founding Editor of Guanabee Media, an English-language, pop culture blog network about Latinos established in 2007. She has a Master's in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. Prior to her career in journalism, she spent ten years in New York City as an advertising copywriter. During her undergraduate career at the University of Texas she served under Governor Ann Richards as a Senate Messenger during the 72nd Texas Legislature.)
Hispanics now comprise a majority of the kids in Texas public schools, and Nelsen says they make up 89 percent of the student body at UT-Pan Am.
Still, only 4.6 percent of all Texas Hispanics were enrolled in college in 2011, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. That’s compared to 7 percent of African-Americans and 5.6 percent of Anglos.
That could soon change. The bill to create a premier university in the Valley won unanimous support from the Texas House and easily passed the Senate but hasn’t yet won final passage.
The new institution would remain part of the University of Texas system and would become eligible for funds from a public endowment called the Permanent University Fund. The new university could also access the $50 million Institute for Transformational Learning, a part of the University of Texas System that bills itself as “promoting innovation” and funds online learning programs throughout the UT System.
Nelsen says that technology is a big part of the merged university’s future. “We’ve thought a lot about virtual classrooms. We’re doing more and more online and hybrid classes because of the great demand.” Online courses can be especially beneficial for working students or students who have children.
This year the school added masters of business administration and masters of public administration programs to four others already online, and the school has plans to do the same next year for special education and nursing programs.
The merger brings with it the plan to create a long-sought medical school at the Harlingen campus. “If you look at what happened at the UT Health Center San Antonio,” Nelsen said, “in 22 years, it generated over $18 billion in economic impact. Just creating a $98 million science building will have a $134 million impact. It will bring 125 extra jobs to the Valley.” That’s welcome news, because one downside to the merger is the loss of some jobs at the merging schools. UT-Brownsville recently notified about 250 employees that they no longer will have a job come August.
The newly formed university will also get access to a University of Texas funding program that provides allotments to attract top teaching talent.
All of which could lead the new university to become an emerging research facility. “I think this merger is an economic engine for the Valley and for the state,” Nelsen told me. It’s a long-overdue investment in higher education in one of the state’s most ignored areas—and hopefully will provide Texas an economic boost. If the bill passes, the merged university would be a win for the Valley and potentially a win for the rest of the state too.
(Cindy Casares is a columnist for the Texas Observer. She is also the founding Editor of Guanabee Media, an English-language, pop culture blog network about Latinos established in 2007. She has a Master's in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. Prior to her career in journalism, she spent ten years in New York City as an advertising copywriter. During her undergraduate career at the University of Texas she served under Governor Ann Richards as a Senate Messenger during the 72nd Texas Legislature.)
9 comments:
Juan have seen and read various articles saying that the medical school will be housed in Hidlago county? is that correct? have you had a chance to look into this final decision making process yet? Or is the final location place or site something that is still brewing at this time? I am sure taxpayers want to know since mayor martinez is buying up the whole original townsite to give it away for free to the UT system?
Look at Doctors Renaissance in Edinburg and Brownsville Doctors Hospital. BDH was and I question "was" supposed to be modeled after Doctors Renaissance. What happened? Doctors Renissance is booming and BDH, what? Imagine all that lost tax revenue? It had the potential to have been so much only to find itself locked in litigation and debt. Haha! THE JOKE IS ON YOU ! EXCELLENCE IN PATIENT CARE, MY ASS! PHANTOM EMPLOYEES, GRAB ASS IN THE BACK ROOM AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE, BTW GREAT EMPLOYEES, SHAMEFUL AND SHODDY MANAGEMENT! NO ONE RESPECTS YOU, YOU SHOULD FEEL ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU DID TO THE LIVES OF THE EMPLOYEES AND PATIENTS.
GREEDY FUCKING RATAS, ALL OF THEM! JUST LIKE JULIETA AND COB, BASTARDS! GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. I AM WAITING TO SEE ALL OF YOU RECEIVE YOUR JUST REWARDS FOR BEING THE LYING GREEDY BASTARDS YOU ARE! THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY! I PITY YOUR CHILDREN FOR HAVING TO HAVE TO CARRY YOUR TAINTED NAMES!
All of the wrangling is politics and politics is usually based on money. Hidalgo County has made a $50 million committement....something Cameron County will not do.
The observer should have asked mr. nelson why the two valley universities have never had access to the permanent university fund, and if maybe that contributes to the discrepency in wages for hispanics in texas. i am glad that rene oliveira is diggin his heels in about chuy hinojosas amendment. utb is losing many jobs already. through this bill, we will lose all of our administrative jobs to mcallen. mcallen has nothing to do with the ut system at this point. why do they get to take our jobs? harlingen and cameron county leaders have worked very hard over many years to develop the rahc. the new medical school belongs here! it doesn't belong in hidalgo county. the residents of southern cameron county have paid many, many taxes to supplement the ut system with utb over the past 20 years. we have put our money where our mouth is and we should keep our jobs here in cameron county. if this new university is going to transfer all of our ut jobs to hidalgo county, then we should just forget the whole "univ of the americas" and sue for utb's entry into the puf!!
Cindy Casares graduated from Pace High School in 1989. She is representing Brownsville well. She comes from a great family. Idoluis Casares is an accountant in Brownsville.
I WAS KICKED OUT OF ARMANDO VILLALOBOS JURY BECAUSE I SAID I WAS GOING TO BASE MY JUDGEMENT ON WHAT WAS PRESENTED. WTF MR. ANDROPHY NO WONDER YOU GET AWAY WITH MURDER.
I WAS KICKED OUT OF ARMANDO VILLALOBOS JURY BECAUSE I SAID I WAS GOING TO BASE MY JUDGEMENT ON WHAT WAS PRESENTED. WTF MR. ANDROPHY NO WONDER YOU GET AWAY WITH MURDER.
Juan breaking news, medical school will be in hidalgo county, pastel deal has been cut, check out ur sources, el arroz is cooked.
say hello to the return of PAU-B..just this time it will be the University of Texas at McAllen with a Health Science Center and a little satellite campus in Brownsville, that offers a poor live class schedule, but the good news will be that they will skype classes from Hidalgo County. Lower valley loses to upper valley again.
Post a Comment