November 16, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: Dallas City Council approves purchase of land for UNT at Dallas

homepage

click here for larger image
Dallas City Council approves purchase of land for UNT at Dallas

On Nov. 14, the Dallas City Council approved the purchase of approximately 202 acres in the I-20 corridor of southern Dallas to be given to the UNT System for the development of the planned UNT at Dallas campus.

In purchasing the property (located in southeast Oak Cliff near the intersection of Houston School Road and Camp Wisdom Road) from MBJH Corp. for $3 million, the council fulfilled the requirements set in its June 28, 2000, resolution to facilitate opening the first public university inside the city of Dallas.

According to UNT System Chancellor Alfred F. Hurley, this latest demonstration of unwavering support in Dallas helps bring into the immediate future the realization of the goal to establish UNT at Dallas. The UNT System will ask the 2003 Legislature to fund the first UNT at Dallas building. With that approval, as well as the approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, construction could begin in late 2004 or early 2005.

"This initial building would house the core faculty and staff needed to serve the first students enrolled at the new university, which is projected to open in 2007," he explains.

"Most importantly," Hurley says, "the council's action brings to the citizens of the greater Dallas community, especially those in southern Dallas and Ellis counties, the promise of an accessible and affordable public university education."

Near the close of the 77th legislative session last spring, both the Texas House and Senate unanimously passed the UNT-Dallas bill that statutorily established UNT at Dallas. Then on May 8, Gov. Rick Perry came to the UNT System Center at Dallas to sign the legislation into law.

As soon as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board certifies that UNT System Center enrollment has reached 2,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) students for one semester, the UNT System can begin the required processes to secure state approvals and accreditation to offer courses and grant degrees from UNT at Dallas.

Now that the UNT System has a campus site for UNT at Dallas, it is placing priority status on involving community residents to help plan for the new university. Already it has set two community meetings at the System Center before the end of the year. More meetings will be scheduled in 2002.

The first meeting at the UNT System Center at Dallas facility, located at 8915 S. Hampton Road (three blocks south of I-20), is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 28. The second meeting will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 17.

UNT's University Center for Economic Development and Research estimates that the UNT System Center at Dallas already is generating $10.5 million in economic activity in Dallas. That economic impact is expected to expand to nearly $20 million by 2004, and the long-range forecast is that it will continue to grow along with the system and community efforts to complete the transition to a full-fledged university.

Following the council action, Hurley gave special thanks to Councilman James L. Fantroy, who represents District 8 – the home of the new campus site.

"We sincerely appreciate Councilman Fantroy's commitment to the development of this critically important response to the higher education needs in Dallas," Hurley says.

In addition, Hurley cited the ongoing efforts of Sen. Royce West, who has actively championed the case for a public university in southern Dallas ever since he introduced the idea for a feasibility study in the 75th legislative session in 1997. West and the Southern Dallas County Higher Education Feasibility Study Task Force selected UNT in September 1998 to be the educational partner in addressing the public university needs of southern Dallas.

Hurley also acknowledged Rep. Jesse Jones (District 110), who carried the UNT at Dallas legislation in the Texas House of Representatives, and Rep. Helen Giddings (District 109), who has helped support the new university and the System Center as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

The effort to establish the System Center was supported by an initial state appropriation of $4.2 million, which was supplemented by $2.6 million raised by area business and civic leaders in February of this year. In May, the Legislature approved an additional $2.25 million for the System Center that raised its appropriation to $6.45 million for the 2002-03 biennium.

According to Hurley, total private support for the new university is now above $3.8 million.

UNT has offered upper-division and graduate courses at the approximately 78,000-square-foot System Center facility since January 2000.

Enrollment at the System Center jumped ahead of expectations this fall when 1,082 students signed up for classes. Headcount figures have been growing steadily since the first 250 students enrolled in January 2000.

The first 13 students to complete the major portion of their upper-level course work at the System Center will receive their degrees at UNT's Dec. 15 graduation ceremony in Denton.