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Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363 Date: December 18, 1998 |
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UT System News Release |
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Partnership for Border Health
Research is Announced by U.T. El Paso and Texas Tech AUSTIN - The University of Texas at El Paso and Texas Tech University will jointly own and operate a research center that will tackle border health issues under a plan announced Friday in El Paso.
The institutions will seek funding for the El Paso Center for Border Health Research from the 76th session of the Legislature. The plan calls for a total of $30 million to support construction of research facilities, as well as funding from the state's tobacco lawsuit settlement to support endowments for operation of the center.
In addition, the two universities have agreed to work with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation on a feasibility study concerning the eventual creation of a health campus in El Paso. The foundation may also seek to acquire land for the research center.
U.T. System Chancellor William H. Cunningham, who took part in the El Paso news conference announcing the plans, praised the development of the partnership agreement between the universities.
"I am very pleased that it has been possible to design a framework for the El Paso Center for Border Health Research that will be jointly administered by Texas Tech and UTEP. The combined resources and expertise of these two outstanding institutions will assure that the center will be able to make a significant difference in the lives of the people of El Paso, Texas, and the nation.
"We must thank Senator Eliot Shapleigh and Senator Robert Duncan, as well as members of the House delegation from El Paso, State Representatives Paul Moreno, Joe Pickett, Norma Chavez, Pat Haggerty, and Representative-elect Manny Najera. Together they have played a very positive and constructive role in the development of this proposal. We now look forward to working with the senators and respective House members during the next legislative session to secure the necessary funding for the center.
Cunningham added:
"I also want to express my deepest appreciation for the exceptional leadership shown by Mr. Woody Hunt of El Paso. He has been instrumental in helping to develop a constructive dialogue to establish the center. Chancellor John Montford of Texas Tech and President Diana Natalicio of UTEP also deserve our heartfelt thanks for their commitment and hard work in establishing this center and developing a workable plan for its successful operation.
"The spirit of cooperation that has been demonstrated during the past two weeks gives me confidence that the center will, indeed, be successful.
"We understand that key elements of this initiative are subject to authorization by the Texas Legislature. While we are hopeful of securing the funding for the center, we recognize that the Legislature has the responsibility to allocate scarce resources among numerous pressing state priorities."
President Natalicio observed that UTEP has greatly expanded its role in health education and research in recent years, and that the University's 6-year-old Border Biomedical Research Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health, "will serve as a strong foundation for future collaboration with clinical researchers at Texas Tech in El Paso."
"We welcome the opportunity to join with Texas Tech and the Paso del Norte Health Foundation in expanding biomedical research activity in this region," she said.
Under the agreement for creation of the new research center, UTEP and Texas Tech will ask the Legislature for $15 million each to fund construction of research facilities. The funding could be through tuition revenue bonds or through direct appropriations.
Start-up funding for the center would be shared by the foundation and the two universities. UTEP will request $25 million from the tobacco fund for an endowment that will help support its involvement in the research center. Texas Tech plans to request a total of $50 million from the tobacco fund to endow its El Paso health operations and has committed a portion of that amount to its operation of the research center.
Texas Tech has operated a regional academic health center in El Paso for many years. Its operations include educational programs for third- and fourth-year medical students, as well as residency programs.
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Affairs || 210 West 6th Street, Suite 2.100
Austin, Texas 78701 || p: (512) 499-4363 || f: (512) 499-4358 || email: adebruyn@utsystem.edu |
