DALLAS – Three of the state’s long-serving senators will pay a special visit to the University of North Texas UNT Dallas Oct. 27 to discuss the need for transitional funding for the opening of UNT Dallas, the addition of a second academic building, and the foundation of the University of North Texas System’s College of Law in downtown Dallas.
The bipartisan delegation including Senators Robert Duncan and Steve Ogden, both Republicans, and Royce West, a Democrat, will be on the campus for the “legislative primer” from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Members of editorial boards and the media are invited to attend.
The UNT System is seeking funding in the 2009 Biennium for the establishment of the system’s College of Law in the old Dallas Municipal Building. The city recently pledged $16 million to renovate the building’s exterior in anticipation of it serving in the future as Dallas’ first and only public law school.
Additionally, the senators will hear a presentation from UNT Dallas, which is seeking $6.34 million in transitional funding to hire additional faculty and staff members to meet the needs of the growing student population. The Campus is also seeking the release of $43.5 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds for the construction of a second, 100,000-sq.-ft. academic building.
John Ellis Price, vice chancellor of the UNT System and CEO of UNT Dallas, said a second building is necessary because the Campus’ single building has no more available space.
“We hope that the senators will see how desperately we need additional classroom space and transitional funding to hire the faculty and staff we need to make UNT Dallas a reality in 2010. But we can’t hire faculty and staff for whom we have no office space. Building a second building is another step on the road to fulfilling the legislation that authorizes the creation of the first public university in Dallas in order to help the State of Texas meet its education goals.”
“The work our state senators do in the legislature is the primary source for our funding,” Price said. “Without their time and effort on behalf of the citizens of our state, we would not be able to offer the access to education and success we offer at UNT Dallas. Countless numbers of students would not be able to better their lives with an education close to home and at an affordable price.”
The visit to the Campus was arranged by Sen. West of Dallas (District 23), who has served in the Senate since 1993 and sits on the finance and education committees and the sub-committee on higher education. West was instrumental in passing the legislation that created UNT Dallas and authorizes the creation of UNT Dallas when the full-time equivalent enrollment at the Campus reaches 1,000.
The Campus is near the goal that will trigger the creation of the new university. On-site enrollment at the University of North Texas at Dallas spiked to a record headcount of 2,212 students for the fall 2008 semester, according to census figures taken on the semester’s 12th day of classes. That figure represents an 18-percent increase over the 12th class day headcount of 1,874 in fall 2007.
Most important for the campus is its increase in full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. The campus reached 959 full-time equivalents, an 18-percent increase over the fall 2007 figure of 814.
Sen. Ogden of Bryan (District 5) has served in the Senate since 1997 and is chairman of the finance committee. He also serves on the education committee. Sen. Duncan, of Lubbock (District 28), also serves on the finance committee and is chairman of the state affairs committee. Both senators have served since 1997.
The UNT UNT Dallas operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, the state’s fourth largest university, and is a component institution of the University of North Texas System. The Campus currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Campus will become freestanding and open as UNT Dallas, the city’s first and only public university, by 2010.
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