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The Texas House Committee on Higher Education committee met on January 20 to discuss the new higher education strategic plan, 60x30Tx, as proposed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and discuss future plans for public institutions of higher education to expand educational offerings and programs.   
 
Raymond Paredes – Commissioner of THECB

  • Provided a background on the Closing the Gap from 2000-2015
    • Most of the major components made a significant success
    • No final data from fall of 2015, but reached goal of adding students or will have come very close to it
    • Attainment goal is to have more graduates and we have exceeded that goal
    • Increased African American completions by 100%
    • Increased Hispanic completions by 150%
  • Closing the Gap laid a foundation for the new Strategic 60x30Tx plan
    • The most important quality of the plan is that it is entirely student centered
  • Closing the gaps was a success but wasn’t nearly enough, which is why a new plan is in place
    • By year 2030 we need at least 60% of students to have some type of certificate or degree, and we need to reach that goal in the next 15 years
  • 2/3 of jobs will soon require degrees
  • The goal in place is to graduate over 500k students
  • Make certain that all of students graduate with marketable skills, no matter the major
  • There is a goal to graduate with manageable debt, right now 50% of students have debt around $30k
  • This is an ambitious plan but it sets a foundation that we need in Texas to become economically competitive and improve the quality of life
  • Rep. Alonzo- Adding to remarks made by Paredes, Alonzo stated that regardless of major students would still have marketable skills
  • Rep. Alonzo- What are some things that are being done to reduce debt?
    • Work with counselors in HS to give students more info on debt, make sure students have accurate info, have freshman orientation on debt, have institutions remind students of debt, and get debt counseling
    • 50% of students have debt currently
  • Rep. Turner- Thoughts on 60×30 plan and how legislature and institutions should improve?
    • Invite boards to present on strategic systems, institutions need to be more cost effective, we have to innovate and encourage students to finish more quickly
  • Texas Higher Ed supports expanding opportunities where there is a demonstrated need
  • Advanced degree needs to be available in every corner of the state
  • Systems and institutions may feel the need to prioritize
    • It is important that the expansion is in best interest of the state
  • Concerns of expansion programs, funding has decreased slightly
  • Expanding programs will divide state funding into smaller slices
  • Every institution should focus on protecting academic quality of education
  • There is a need to increase the number of degree completions
  • Institutions should focus on strengthening existing graduation programs
  • Encourage institutions to redesign programs
  • There is work already in place, 2 community colleges offer bachelor degrees
  • Increase opportunities around the state, have affordable institution for degrees
  • Encourage institutions that any additional programs be under urgent need
  • Institutions may offer off campus classes with previous approval
  • One action is to remind institutions there must be approval by the agency
  • There is a study being done that will provide a prospective on where we need to go next and what we may do over these 15 years
  • There is a want to help expand but there is a need to do an analysis and do expansion as we need it, be cost efficient about it  
  • Rep. Zerwas- Discuss deregulated tuition
    • Institutions can’t rely on higher levels of funding, so they think they need more money from the formula
  • Rep. Zerwas- Is it reasonable for universities to share what their plans are?
    • More often than not when institutions inform THECB of their plans there would be more benefits
  • Rep. Howard- Part of the challenge is to increase capacity, cost efficiency, only option seems to be to change what’s going on because of the tension in trying to achieve these goals
    • Higher Ed cannot expect appropriation to increase at the rate they hope to expand
  • Rep. Howard- Comments that the lack of funding pushes Legislators into positions to find solutions
  • Rep. Morrison- Have we given the coordinating board enough money to look at the whole state and review current programs?
    • Past years there’s been a grant from Houston endowment but not sure there will be another one and then we will be short
  • Rep. Darby- Institutions all have problems and are struggling with how to maintain funding, what programs are in place?
    • We don’t want students having to travel far to get a degree, we need to make sure programs are adequately funded, take a look at faculty, very thorough process and it continues to be refined
  • Rep. Zerwas- Expand on medical schools
    • Back to the issue of adequate funding, studies have been done and the most cost efficient way is to increase number of residency slots to meet physician shortages
    • It is unlikely to fund proposed methods for schools, there is an emphasis on medical graduation and slots, it is a matter of having resources
  • Rep. Zerwas- We as a legislative body haven’t been involved in opening medical schools
    • We have talked to leaders in the legislature about concerns and recognize it’s a decision made at the legislative level

 
John Sharp – Chancellor of Texas A&M (and James Hallmark)

  • There are expansion plans for Texas A&M
  • The program modifications require system approval, an establish quality of the proposed program, and a guard of the program quality
  • Changes to the existing program must meet requirements and approval
  • A 2009 study showed minorities are underrepresented, and to recruit students from other areas
  • We had to go back to the board to get funding, $120 million,  and that will be shortly finished
  • It is important to establish strong partnerships which have been done by Dr. Green
  • Students will come from rural areas to go to school and hopefully return home to open practices
  • Faculty will work to improve curriculum, advising programs and do extensive research
  • Kingsville and Prairie View have strong numbers of minorities
  • In the long term we will evaluate the partner schools rather than the current model of training in College Station
  • We would like to be able to keep costs lower for students to stay home through their education
  • This has been a 6 year long span to create this model
  • We’re doing exactly what the coordinating board requested
  • STEM opportunities for students in the south have developed
  • There has been a partnering with schools to come to a common understanding on the courses and making sure there are no over laps
  • The goal is to enroll the first cohort of students and then grow the number of students
  • A&M professors are at community colleges and as a result students go to the main campus
  • The partnership with IDM charter schools in Rio Grande Valley will hopefully become a feeder
  • Repayment of tuition for location of students was suggested but never funded, we are trying to find ways to get minorities into vet schools
  • Rep. Darby- Explain the process of obtaining board approval and the timing
    • We got responses from the Mayor in regards to funding, they didn’t want anything public until they knew they could meet the result
  • Rep. Darby- Who should be the final arbiter?
    • State should be final arbiter
  • Rep. Darby- The state has an interest in the outcomes
    • We will end up getting that money
  • Rep. Darby- There needs to be a balance in the states purpose, and we would want to maintain these balances as you go to the donors
  • Rep. Alonzo- We need to understand and be flexible with the university systems, this is not a business model, this is government
    • There was two different directions from the Commissioner, who shares input on what we need to be working on
  • Rep. Turner- Has there been any change in the data in regards to vet school graduation?
    • The model will change faster than other vet schools out of state
  • Rep. Turner- Are kids not getting in? What’s the issue?
    • There’s a lack of exposure when it comes to vet school

 
Robert Duncan– Chancellor of Texas Tech University

  • TTU system is not considered to be a regional system
  • Students come from all over the world and graduates end up all over  
  • The expansion aspects go back to the ability to identify needs in the community
  • Distance is an interesting thing to look at because of how far cities are from each other, such as El Paso and Austin, El Paso is closer to California
  • Community partnerships are in places such as Amarillo
  • There partnerships are put in place so others are able to participate to get jobs in other regions
  • The Amarillo school of pharmacy was able to happen because of the community
  • There is a set of requirements that happens before programs are approved
  • Expansions are vetted, they operate with scarce resources
  • Expansion is important because of the state’s growth, we have to think about the future
  • Growth needs to be thought out and strategic
  • Working with a coordinating board is important and a principle we have observed
  • We are in the process of three expansions, public heath in Abilene, El Paso dental school, and the school of vet medicine in the panhandle
  • Rep. Darby- Are there areas to work on that will help processes go more smoothly?
    • Changes were constructive and there was a lot of thought that went through the process, coordinating board plays an important role in allowing us to expand, the legislature does need a source that we can look to
  • Rep. Darby- Our challenges are to make sure the resources are available
  • Rep. Howard- When there is the opportunity to expand, and we wait, opportunities may go away. How do we go about that?
    • There is the budget cycle every two years so you have to have some ability to expedite approval, any transparency you can provide can be helpful, coordination board is a great resource

 
Renu Khator– Chancellor of The University of Houston

  • Degrees awarded, research, etc has grown
  • Future areas of growth reviewed including growing hospitality program, expansion plans also include more campuses and programs
  • Expecting population to continue to grow in Houston and in the process of looking for more land to purchase
  • Expansion is result of explicitly stated goals, all new programs have enjoyed public dialogue and support, all programs going through coordinating board and approval process
  • University of Houston’s goal is to provide affordable access to higher education
  • Rep. Zerwas – Need to have commitment to GME if expanding medical schools, what is process and next step for their programs?
    • Not looking at expansion as badge of honor but a way to serve the community
    • Working with neighborhood partners, working on providing basic health care to those in inner cities and that is the purpose of this program
    • Maybe they can be innovative and national role model in this endeavor

William McRaven–  Chancellor of The University of Texas 

  • UT engagement with pre-K through 12 had to increase and needed to figure out how to solve problem
  • American Leadership program – want to educate and train all UT students and give about 20 hours of leadership instruction
  • Other quantum leaps UT is planning were discussed for example – health care, national security, expansion into Houston which has garnered much public attention
  • Beginning with blank canvas in Houston and only limited by drive of imagination and at end of month will comprise a task force made up of Houstonians and ask them to help strengthen, not undermine, academic work in Houston
  • They believe very much in working with THECB and will be briefing them on the Houston plan this week and will follow up on having monthly meetings with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Rep. Zerwas – Role of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and UT’s Houston expansion caught him off guard. Where was Coordinating Board in this process – Where was the conversation?
    • Started with a vision and knew he had to have property – knew he could not discuss too much ahead of time in order to purchase process
    • Not breaking ground too soon, this will be a multi-generational process and will have task force to work on innovation
    • Framework will be developed by end of the year and at that time will bring to Legislature and in the meantime will work with THECB
  • Rep. Zerwas said Paredes mentioned his concern of creation of mediocrity and asked McRaven to address that concern.
    • There will be opportunities for undergraduate education but will work with institutions on what that looks like 
    • Quality of faculty will drive quality of students and currently faculty are well below pay scale and many things drive that and thinks that needs to be address to ensure they are providing high quality education
  • Question asked if Houston was just a research facility and concerned of oversaturation of Houston?
    • It is research, it is undergraduate and it may be graduate but those are the things being discussed but McRaven does not want task force to be constrained – wants them to deal with a blank canvas and offering all institutions to come collaborate with them
    • McRaven and Board of Regents will be making appointments to the task force and he has reached out to the Mayor as well
    • Also says, they are years away from breaking ground but they need to frame what they are thinking and then if it doesn’t meet LBB or THECB then they can look at it then
    • Points to Boston and DFW area with multiple higher education institutions and does not want to do anything that would impeded University of Houston’s rise to Tier 1 status
  • Rep. Carol Alvarado concerned about how this matter has been handled and already purchased the land
    • Has not put a shovel in the ground and will work with the THECB
  • McRaven says he wants to challenge the task force in ways to do things that have not been done before
    • Knows he wants a leadership institute there but not going to bound the task force too early
    • If it will not meet policy or rule then they will back off
  • Rep. Turner asked about efforts to work with other stake holders
    • Do not want to duplicate where there is already great content and delivery
    • Thinks there are opportunities that they have not explored
  • Rep. Alonzo commentated  on top 10 percent, thinks the topic has been discussed plenty and a sensitive topic
    • If it is the best interest of this state then the topics need to be on the table for discussion
    • Does the top 10% rule serve Texas and address the need for diversity as they has hoped when passing the rule?
    • Top schools out of state – Students going to Oklahoma, Arkansas and LSU
  • Rep. Howard says in the long run, this is exactly what Texas needs in order to achieve the 60×30 plan, to offer a vision for the 21st Century to move us forward
  • Rep. Zerwas spoke about appropriations and clarified the purchase of the property was out of PUF funds
    • Property will cost about $15M a year for 30 years – below market price
    • Just a portion of the fund over 30 years

Brian McCall– Chancellor of Texas State University System

  • System is one of fastest growing – Reviewed growth of system
  • Have 14 campuses in state of Texas and located all over state
  • Agree that over committing to programs is not a good direction and toward that end has given preliminary approval for medical program at Sam Houston but would be self-funded and will continue to have dialogues with THECB
  • Rep. Darby – Given your extensive research into Montgomery county facility, how to balance coordination with THECB, BOR, etc
    • We know state cannot fund what they need to do and seeking to do that in this program but direction comes from bottom up with research and to confirm the program can be self-sustaining and then the item goes before board committee, then to full board and then to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

 
Lee Jackson– Chancellor of The University of North Texas

  • Frisco classes are offered at convenient times
  • Collin county is one of the fastest growing, it is the largest without a 4 year university
  • We signed an agreement with Collin College to help students complete degrees
  • We have an innovation campus that is affiliated with UNT
  • There will need to be land and buildings and go back to the coordinating board
  • We think Frisco holds an  innovative promise, partnership is something to be proud of
  • In Fort Worth there is a partnership with TCU, this is a big investment
  • There needs to be a degree granting program and there needs to be more support and partnerships
  • We think we can make the two partners stronger
  • We can handle 60 more students, we can add them to an MD program
  • There are additional partnership opportunities
  • We announced in July the partnership with TCU
  • Private partnership addressing needs that have not been met
  • This will be the most cost effective medical school
  • Tarrant county has been under represented, but now important to hospitals
  • When announced, we had 300 community leaders
  • They want to see a joint medical clinic
  • There has been an increase in funding, we have renewed all pledges
  • We are in the middle of interviewing dean candidates
  • Excited for a new experience to do something different
  •  We will conduct discussion within the laws
  • Rep. Zerwas- This is a counter to what a remedy could be for a physician shortage
    • We believe with the history we will expand the private funding and increase the number of graduates because of this expansion
    • The marketplace doesn’t want to just improve existing locations, there is a want for expansion
    • We need to invest more in measuring the outputs