DALLAS -- Texas House of Representatives Speaker Tom Craddick visited the UNT Dallas Campus as part of a four-hour tour of the Southern Dallas economic corridor Jan. 23. During the visit, arranged by State Representative Helen Giddings, Craddick also toured Paul Quinn College, the Dallas Intermodal Terminal, Dallas Inland Port and the Dallas Logistics Hub.
Giddings, who has been a vocal proponent for the growth of the UNT Dallas Campus since its inception, provided a passionate argument for the need for a second building to support the Campus' growing enrollment. Currently one 75,000 square-foot building occupies the 266-acre site set aside for the future university.
"UNT Dallas began in 2000 with 55 FTEs (204 students).We have now grown to 814 FTEs (1,874 students)," Giddings said. FTE, or ‘full-time equivalent,' is a metric for translating total hours into full-time hours.
"Four hundred four-year degrees have been awarded at the Campus since 2000," Giddings said.
Appropriations of $25 million are approved to support the installation of a second building. However, those funds cannot be released until the Campus meets an enrollment requirement of 1,500 FTEs. Giddings' May 2007 bill to reduce the FTE requirement and expedite the process for issuing revenue bonds to support the Campus was vetoed.
"We have a chicken and egg situation," said Giddings. "There is not enough space to hold 1,500 FTEs, yet we are told to get 1,500 full-time equivalent students before we can build a second building."
Dr. John Ellis Price, vice provost of the Campus, presented compelling data to support the need for a second building.
"We believe the UNT Dallas Campus will serve as an economic development stimulus for Dallas. If we are to achieve our student enrollment goals and increase the number of faculty and staff, we must have a place to put them," Price said.
Price said nearly every available office and classroom space is occupied. Additional course sections and the hiring of new faculty and staff will compound the problem this fall.
"We need 102,813 square feet of space to support an enrollment of 1,000 FTE, and 146,116 square feet to support an enrollment of 2,500," Price said. "The new building will be used to supply computer labs, science labs, classrooms and faculty and staff offices."
Price is also asking the state to approve funding to support the infrastructure of the new building that would include the hiring of an architectural firm.
UNT Chancellor Lee Jackson applauded Speaker Craddick for his support to get the first building for the Campus."The Speaker has been with us every step of the way, " Jackson said.
According to Jackson, the UNT Dallas Campus is unlike many start-up colleges in that it did not begin on a community college campus where it could pull from a readily available pool of students.
"We're starting from scratch, yet we're growing every single year on this site," said Jackson.
Speaker Craddick spoke briefly but was quick to reiterate his support for the Campus.
"I support the second building," Craddick said. "You'll find that the House side is very supportive of it. The number one goal of the State of Texas has got to be education. It's the backbone of our economy," Craddick said.
The Speaker's tour also included a meeting with recently selected president of Paul Quinn College, Michael J. Sorrell. The president presented a vision for the success of the institution, which is the oldest historically Black college or university (HBCU) west of the Mississippi River, and the only HBCU in North Texas.
Transportation for the tour was provided by the Allen Group, and was organized by its Director of Government Affairs and Community Relations, Leslie Jutzi.
The UNT Dallas Campus, which operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Once freestanding, the University of North Texas at Dallas will begin recruiting its first freshman class for admission in fall 2009.
For More Information:
Philanda Morgan
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(972) 780-3663
pmorgan@unt.edu