The Senate Committee on Higher Education heard invited and public testimony related to an interim charge regarding system/campus expansion.
- System/Campus Expansion: Consider what role the state should have in overseeing the approval and development of new higher education locations into geographical areas already served by existing institutions. Develop a long-term statewide strategy for authorizing new locations and programs which includes a plan to ensure adequate support for expansion. Explore where there are underserved areas of the state and what type of programs would best serve the population to fill regional workforce needs.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics the committee took up. This report is not a verbatim transcript of the hearing; it is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Raymund Paredes, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board-Commissioner
- Long way to go toward 60x30TX Plan
- Institutions are attempting to do/be everything to all people
- Many overlapping initiatives
- Competition in this regard may not be good for the system
- Resources are generally concentrated in the 3 major cities
- Growth of online programs with over 2000 online degree programs- ranking very high worldwide
- Significantly reduce need for physical sites and programs of new institutions
- Data shows higher education in Texas is doing more with less funding
- Data shows enrollment slowing in regions of the state especially at community college
- Further decrease in state support will lead to decrease in access
- Expanding programs more quickly that the resources available should allow
- Need to be nimbler in higher education regarding workforce preparation
- Should consider shrinking low producing programs
- Shrinking could include ending, shrinking, or consolidating
- Recommends giving the coordinating board authority to approve site for institutions of higher education
- Focus on quality rather than quantity
- Seliger- relating to 60x30TX, how many certificates were awarded last year?
- About 330,000
- Seliger- so we are about 250,000 away?
- correct
- West- what did you mean by it would be a stretch to reach 60x30TX?
- We’ve done better despite the decline of state appropriations and cannot reach the goal given that trend
- West- is it the graduation rate that is not attainable?
- Many of the goals are a stretch, especially regarding student debt
- West- need coordinating board to provide the recommendations to reach the goal by 2030
Demitrio Hernandez, LBB
- Gave presentation
- Gave an overview of types of funding available for expansion
- Formula funding- timing does not lend itself for expansion but can help one created
- Reviewed types of support funding mechanisms such as: downward expansion funding, startup funding
- 3 institutions receive startup funding
- 5 institutions receiving downward expansion
- Discussed establishment of new medical schools in Texas through PUF backed bonds, AUF, formula funding and philanthropy
Brian McCaul, Texas State University System-Chancellor
- Would like to do more with more but doing very well with the current amount
- Partnerships and colocations are how successful expansions have thrived
- Creating a healthcare neighborhood with Texas A&M in Round Rock
- Significantly increased online presence (200% hours increase)
- Reviewing local state and national needs before expanding a program while working with the coordinating board
John Sharp, Texas A&M University System- Chancellor
- Working with Blinn College to create a campus where after two years a student does not get into A&M, regional campuses will offer courses in Bryan, TX
- Also completing research building to work with corporate partners to the university
- Expanding 25×25 with Chevron Academies partnering with community colleges around the state to coenroll in engineering
- A&M professors go to the community colleges and offer fast track into the engineering program
- Discussed other similar expansions at regional branches
- Discussed expansion of the veterinary program in West Texas withthe support of the legislature and coordinating board
- West- discussing Blinn working with other regional institutions, is that online?
- That is in Bryan, with the potential for online programming
- Seliger- can you discuss progress of 25×25?
- Finding a huge demand for engineers
- That is only a 6% growth rate per year
- Seliger- that is all A&M Branches?
- Just at A&M
Guy Baily, University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley- President
- Trying to incentivize students through guaranteed tuition for 4 years and capping tuition at 12 hours allowing for “free” semester of tuition if taking 15 hours per semester
- In May, will have awarded 16,000 degrees
- Discussed regional impact through partnerships for many programs, especially medical programs
- 48% of students are enrolled in Allied Health or STEM field
- Watson- all of the A&M expansions were approved by Higher Educating Board?
- Sharp- Correct
- Watson- and UTRGV changes and expansions going through coordinating board?
- Correct
Robert Duncan, Texas Tech University System- Chancellor
- Discussed history of Texas Tech University
- The medical school grew through regional campuses throughout West Texas
- Downward expansion created in El Paso
- Expansions were to serve the need not to expand for the sake of expanding
- Community partnerships are very important to meet local and statewide needs
- Continuing to work with coordinating board relating to preparing programs to be expanded
- Grown to 55,000 students in the system
- Number of degrees grown to 400 per year
- Health Science Center graduates more health care professionals than any other in Texas
- Seliger- would you reflect on plans or projections on incremental gains toward 60x30TX?
- Working with community and corporate partners will absolutely be key to reaching those incremental goals
Bob Mong, University of Texas-Dallas- President
- To achieve the 60×30 goals, it needs to be a partnership among school districts and 4-years
- The pilot program is at 31 high schools, involves 9300 seniors and offers free community college to them – if they accept they must finish in 3 years
- Enrollment grew 30% in last two years
- Will have to have a cost of living increase to tuition
- Ranked very highly in the state and nation in value offered to students
- West- in terms of pipelines, working on k-12, what programs are in place to move through the system all the way through higher education?
- Started full-day pre-k incrementally, by creating a sliding scale by a family to get more people involved
- Bringing industry partners into the system
- Involved in the first p-tech program in the state
- Seliger- there are many situations like that regionally that we should promote more of
Michael Williams, University of North Texas
- Discussed Fort Worth partnerships between higher education institutions to create a medical school
- Designed to keep more physicians in North Texas
- Created a public/private model for medical school
- Community support and philanthropy grew very quickly
- Will be housed in interdisciplinary building
- granted a site visit for accreditation
- enrolled many community physicians to work as faculty
- recommends that regulations be centered around quality and efficiency
- Seliger- what threats are threats to higher education?
- Industry creating their own certification programs
Juan Munoz, University of Houston-Downtown – President
- Very diverse, minority-serving campus
- Campus of access and opportunity
- Coordinating board has an important advisory capacity with higher education institutions
- Technology will step into space outside of education in a disruptive way
- 2/3 of students come from community colleges, creating additional certifications to BA degrees
- Expecting that to be a method to encouraging adult learners to get higher education certifications
- Working with community colleges to help lower and streamline graduation rates and degree plans
David Hinds, Victoria College
- Community colleges operate under established service areas, so expansion is not typical except for dual credit
- Service areas include taxing district and surrounding counties
- Authorizing new locations: the state does not provide funding for facilities, typically funded through general obligation bonds
- Community colleges typically do not want to build outside their service area
- Seliger- Were implementation of additional programs in coordination with the coordinating board?
- Yes, they are
- Consider serving underserved areas
- Seliger- how to meet 60×30?
- Cannot get there without community colleges and expansion
- Important to create pathways to help students get through the system with an end goal
- Seliger- certifications granted in ISDs will make an impact, especially with retention
- Completely agree, that is a great way to get students to higher education
Neil Matkin, Collin County Community College District
- Commuter college campus travel distances and times are an important factor in the expansion
- The expansion could include time of day, etc.
- Hired firms to determine skills needed in the community to create programs centered around the community
- Most students transfer to 4-year university after 2 years, working to create streamline pathway to those universities
- Partnering with ISDs to create better pathways into higher education
- Seliger- Campus facility in Collin County were coordinated with coordinating board
- Yes
Michael Reeser, Texas State Technical College System-Chancellor
- Have 10 locations in various regions of Texas
- New campus locations: statute prohibits expansion without approval by the legislature
- Legislature approved 3 new campuses in recent years
- Underserved areas: have a location in county with less than 10,000 people in the county
- Need of workforce may not match up with 2-year degree plans
- 44 colleges doing 40% of training in Texas (outside of major cities)
- Local colleges typically do not have the resources to afford needs
- The 2-year system needs a long-term strategic plan to serve areas where there is not a dense tax base
- Discussed TSTA progress toward 60x30TX Plan
- By most factors, TSTA is meeting goals to reach 60x30TX Plan