Higher education gains ground this legislative session

The University of North Texas and other North Texas institutions are well-poised for continued progress with the regular legislative session now concluded.

The session bore hard-earned successes that will benefit our region and, most importantly, college students and their families. Successes include more financial aid dollars and the opportunity to create more top-tier research universities. Legislators from North Texas and beyond showed great vision and deserve thanks for advancing important higher education initiatives in these tough economic times.

Many North Texas institutions received support for key initiatives. Gov. Rick Perry signed into law our student-approved athletics fee, which will help fund our new stadium. And the UNT System received approval to move forward in creating the regionÂ’s first public law school.

UNT, along with other four-year institutions, expects to earn an average of 4 percent more in formula funding that will support our progress in research, scholarship and creativity.

Perhaps most noteworthy for students and their families, the stateÂ’s TEXAS Grant financial aid program is slated to receive a more than 40 percent funding increase, which could help about 35,000 more students.

For institutions like UNT, this boost will ensure that we continue meeting at least 75 percent of our studentsÂ’ need as our enrollment continues to grow.

I am particularly encouraged by the LegislatureÂ’s foresight in establishing a pathway for emerging research universities like UNT, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Dallas to be more competitive.

I joined my peers at the UTA and UTD in championing this cause because as one of the largest and fastest-growing metro areas in the nation, North Texas could no longer afford to be without a national research university.

The bill, which Gov. Rick Perry recently signed, creates a program to establish more national research universities and provides matching funds for gifts universities receive that support research. Support from our community and partners will be essential because the program is predicated on our success in bringing in private dollars to fuel our initiatives.

UNT already is seeing success in many areas that impact the region. We are home to some of the nationÂ’s best programs and award more than 200 new doctoral degrees in a broad array of disciplines and produce about 7,000 college-educated individuals each year, many of whom work in North Texas.  

That commitment will only deepen with the legislative support to grow not only UNT, but the UNT System. The System received $5 million in support for the UNT at Dallas College of Law, while the UNT Dallas Campus garnered $6.3 million in transitional funds to become an independent campus by 2010. And UNT, in conjunction with the Dallas Campus, was given the green light to study the creation of a pharmacy program.

Other North Texas universities also received support for important initiatives, including funds for UTAÂ’s Regional Nursing Education Center.

With the regular session now over, those of us in higher education are pleased with the support for students pursuing higher learning. It will lead to a brighter future for all of Texas.

Gretchen M. Bataille is the president of the University of North Texas, the stateÂ’s

fourth-largest university.