Today, more than 300 UH students, faculty, staff and alumni will spend the day in Austin, rubbing elbows with lawmakers in the Capitol Building in hopes to persuade most of the 181 legislators to support restoring UH's funding levels from 2003.
We wish them luck.
Though the state is in a slightly better position than this time two years ago, UH still faces an uphill battle. In 2003, the Cougar Advocates for Texas' trip to Austin was a success, touting the message, “One goal, one fund,” calling for a level playing field on which UH could compete for state research funds. At the time, more than 500 people took the trip. While the state faced a $9.9 billion shortfall, a hallmark of UH's plan was that it didn't require the state to dedicate more funds — just redistribute existing money. Unfortunately, Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the bill that would've granted UH's wish.
Things are a bit different these days. Universities are continuing the trend of increasing tuition and seeking out private sources of money at an increasing rate — thanks in part to deregulated tuition. A report in Monday's Austin American-Statesman criticized the state's higher education system, drawing attention to schools like the University of Texas at San Antonio, where classes are overfilled, budgets are thin and no relief is in sight. The report also drew attention to the fact that Texas has only two flagship institutions — The University of Texas and Texas A&M University — whereas California has six.
Texas has a long way to go, even to achieve its own goals outlined in Closing the Gaps. However, it's clear that UH has a vital role to play in the next few decades of higher education in the Lone Star State, as it's one of the top contenders for the highly regarded, if ephemeral “Tier 1″ status.