ARLINGTON, Texas The University of Texas System Board of Regents today (August 10) endorsed an unprecedented Texas-sized investment of $2.56 billion to boost competitiveness in key scientific areas.
Regents voted unanimously to approve an additional 22 capital construction projects ($1,526,630,000) for Fiscal Year 2007, bolstering the System's science, technology, engineering and health infrastructure. The projects are in addition to 22 others approved by the Regents since August 2005 totaling $954,395,000. These additional investments, coupled with faculty recruitment and smaller campus renovation projects for science and technology, brings the total investment by the UT System to $2.56 billion in the current and next fiscal years.
"This investment is the largest commitment to science and technology infrastructure that has been made by a higher education system in the country since the National Academies' recent call for a comprehensive effort to bolster U.S. competitiveness in its report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, " said UT System Chancellor Mark G. Yudof. These capital projects are focused on providing the UT System academic and health institutions with state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and start-up packages designed to recruit the world's brightest research scientists and faculty and to provide a world-class education in the sciences, technology, engineering, and health professions. Examples of new investments include $27 million for a new math, science and engineering teaching-learning facility at UT Dallas; $80.4 million for a new engineering research building at UT Arlington; and $150 million for a new 200,000 square foot South Texas Research Facility at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio.
"Today's investment by UT will have a profound effect on global competitiveness, underscores Texas' reputation as one of the country's leading research centers and furthers excellence at our institutions," said Regents' Chairman James R. Huffines. "UT and the state of Texas will be able to make major advances in cutting-edge research and technology that can, in turn, be applied to real-world applications. Efforts in cancer and biomedical research, more effective techniques for teaching and learning in math and science, addressing the nursing shortage, and meeting critical needs in health research are essential to keeping Texas and the nation competitive."
This investment is the largest single financial commitment in UT System's nearly 125 year history. Funding for this initiative will come from a variety of sources, including $678 million designated for UT System science, technology, engineering and health-related projects of a total $1.8 billion earmarked by the state legislature in May for Tuition Revenue Bonds (TRBs). Despite the name, debt service for these bonds is not paid from tuition and fees. Debt service on TRBs is reimbursed to higher education institutions by the state and does not impact the cost of attending colleges and universities in Texas.
"These major steps forward can only happen when all of the stakeholders including state and federal government, higher education, industry and private donors share the same vision and stand ready to back it up with funding," Huffines remarked. "We are proud and grateful to enjoy such extraordinary support from all of our partners in this important initiative."
The UT System initiative follows several national studies and calls for action to address the country's decline in producing scientists and engineers and erosion of U.S. global competitiveness.
"In January of this year, President Bush announced plans to address at the federal level a growing concern about the effects of rapid global competition and erosion of U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology," said Chancellor Yudof. "The plan to address these issues the American Competitiveness Initiative calls for unprecedented investments in science, technology, math and health education to ensure the competitive future of our country. Texas is doing its part to address these issues of competitiveness, the need for a strong educated workforce, and the need to advance promising research. The Governor's establishment of innovative economic resources such as the Texas Enterprise Fund and Emerging Technology Fund initiatives have been instrumental in our ability to heed this call to action. Today, with approval of these investments, The UT System is helping ensure that the state of Texas will become the location of choice for the nation's and the world's leading scientists, doctors, mathematicians and technologists. In doing so, UT will help keep this country competitive and boost the economy of the state and nation," Yudof said.
The UT System competitiveness initiative linked to a new 10-year strategic plan for the System has been in development over the last year. "By its action today, the Board of Regents is demonstrating its commitment to aligning resources with the System's goals for the future laid out in this plan," said Chairman Huffines.
The full $2.56 billion approved over two fiscal years including projects approved today by the UT System regents is designated for 44 science, technology, engineering and health-related capital projects ($2.48 billion). The total $2.56 billion investment also includes $76.8 million for science, technology, engineering and health faculty recruitment and smaller equipment, repair and renovation projects in the current and next fiscal years.
"This is an unprecedented plan to substantially increase the UT System's commitment to build the most competitive science and engineering, medicine and mathematics infrastructure both human and capital in the country," Chancellor Yudof noted. "It is critically important to Texas and to the nation to turn out more engineers, more nurses, to do the cutting-edge research, to develop new products and medical treatments, to establish new businesses and new industries in our state. This initiative will add more than 5 million gross square feet of space including more than 3 million square feet or a 30 percent increase in research space," he said.
"The initiative, part of the UT System's effort to provide a 10-year strategic planning roadmap, aligns resources and priorities for the UT System and represents a comprehensive, sustainable response to the National Academies' report, the President's American Competitiveness Initiative and the challenge from Governor Perry in focusing on break-through emerging technologies.," Yudof concluded.
According to Dell Inc. chairman of the board Michael Dell, "It is imperative that Texas higher education stay on the leading edge of new technologies in shaping the best and brightest young minds into the skilled workforce of the future. The UT System and the state of Texas are stepping up to ensure that this state can successfully compete across the nation and ultimately, throughout the world in these industries that have such a substantial impact on the way we work, learn and live." Dell's family foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, recently made a $50 million commitment toward the UT initiative by investing in a new pediatric research institute, computer science building, and a center for the advancement of children's wellness.
Funding for the total $2.56 billion initiative includes state and federal appropriations, tuition revenue bonds, institution funds, Permanent University Fund allocations, and private funds or gifts from business, industry, foundations and individuals. Funds for recently approved tuition revenue bonds must still be appropriated by the Legislature in early 2007.
"We are extremely grateful for the support from the Texas Legislature and from many private and foundation sources," Yudof said. "Without their generosity and commitment to keeping Texas competitive, this unprecedented investment in science, technology, engineering and health infrastructure would not have been possible."
The UT System is one of the nation's largest higher education systems with 15 campuses, including nine academic and six health institutions, and an annual operating budget of $10 billion (FY 2007). Student enrollment exceeded 185,000 in the 2005 academic year. The UT System confers one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates three-fourths of Texas health care professionals.
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Science, Technology, Engineering & Health Capital
Project Examples
UT Arlington Engineering Research Building
While the new engineering building originally received state support through Tuition Revenue Bonds, with additional investment from the UT System Board of Regents, UT Arlington will now get additional funds from the UT System to add an integrated science research facility with component to its engineering building. This will enable UTA to accelerate a modern integrated approach by having research and teaching opportunities that cut across the disciplines of engineering and science. Great scientists in physics, chemistry, computer sciences, and engineering need this type of integration. Engineering is one of UTA's most significant academic strengths, and working closely with industry is critical to its strategic plan. This new facility puts UT Arlington at the center of teaching, research and strong industry collaborations in the Metroplex.
UT Austin Dell Pediatric Research Institute
The Dell Pediatric Research Institute will help UT Austin establish a pediatric health research institute in Austin, adjacent to the new Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. Combining UT Austin's core expertise in life sciences and the expertise of faculty from UT System's six health institutions with the new Dell Children's Medical Center will establish Austin as a center of excellence for children's health and biomedical research. The new facility will help attract pediatricians to the area and the state helping to address a critical shortage of professionals within this area of medicine.
UT Austin Experimental Science Building
This project will provide the University with a facility that has modern, technology-enabled classrooms and undergraduate teaching laboratories. It will provide office and laboratory space to recruit and retain faculty in critical academic initiative areas such as neuroscience, computational biology, environmental sciences, pharmacy and molecular and cellular biology.
UT Dallas Math, Science, and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center
This new facility will focus on research-based education in math, science and engineering. It will also serve as a major lab for research on effective teaching and learning techniques in this field, both at the college level and through a full range from K through grade 12. It will serve as a "best practice" center for K-12 educators, providing more teachers with an opportunity to learn to teach math and science more effectively.
UT El Paso Physical Sciences/Engineering Core Facility
UT El Paso is recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as the top engineering school for Hispanics, and it is cited by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering as a model for engineering programs. The National Science Foundation has recognized it as one of only six, highly selective model institutions in the U.S. for excellence in providing success for educational opportunities to nontraditional students. A focus on science and engineering has always been at the core of the mission of UTEP, ever since it was a mining school. Its current core physical sciences and engineering buildings are 40 years old. The investment to bring these aging facilities up to twenty-first century research and teaching standards will enable UTEP to get better at what it has always done wellengineering. UTEP has a responsibility to continue to graduate more minorities in the scientific and mathematical fields. With Texas quickly becoming a "minority-majority" state, UTEP is at the forefront of educating Hispanic in much needed scientific fields. These state-of-the art facilities new facility will be instrumental in UTEP's ability to recruit star faculty and students.
UT San Antonio Combined Science Facility Renovations
This project is a comprehensive renovation that for buildings that house laboratories for earth and life physical science and small animals. This will bring four essential lab buildings up to state-of -the-art quality. Originally built in 1975, some of the buildings present serious safety concerns. As one of the fastest growing universities in the state, UTSA needs to recruit faculty in these important areas to keep pace with its rapidly expanding student population, especially in science and math. Last year, UTSA was ranked first in the U.S. in the production of Hispanic undergraduate biology majors and math majors.
UT Tyler Braithwaite Building
At UT Tyler, health care is a very important part of its academic program. It has witnessed a 70% growth in enrollment of nursing students in the past two years and is experiencing a capacity problem. This is a critical issue, especially when the state of Texas has a serious nursing shortage problem. This facility will support the rapid and continued growth of the nursing program. Ultimately, it will allow the state to graduate and retain qualified nurses.
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas North Campus
This new facility permits UT Southwestern to build upon strengths in key areas of biomedical research and continue to recruit the nation's leading scientists. This building is also needed to accommodate rapidly increasing student enrollment in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and will allow researchers to engage in advanced work in cancer cell biology to better understand the molecular basis of cancer. Additionally, mathematical modeling of cell systems will allow them to engage biological engineering principles to understand how the biological system works.
UT Health Science Center Houston Dental Branch Replacement Building
The oldest dental school in the Texas with a building that is currently 50 years old, this new facility will greatly enhance the institution's ability to meet the needs of students, educators, and patients with the delivery of contemporary dental education and care. Texas presently has a shortage of dentists particularly in South Texas and this facility will greatly expand its clinical trauma and treatment capacity with new state-of-the-art research labs and classrooms.
UT Health Science Center Houston Biomedical Research and Education Building
This new facility will be the primary home for scientists conducting research using adult stem cells. Currently, Texas is at a disadvantage in recruiting top scientists in this important field and this research and education building, and the programs that reside within it, will greatly enhance recruitment efforts.
UT Health Science Center San Antonio South Texas Research Facility
This new facility will allow UT Health Science Center San Antonio to increase research capabilities in important areas such as organ transplantation, aging, neurological and cardiovascular research, and cancer research. The facility will enable the institution to recruit research investigators and faculty within these important fields as evidenced with the recent addition of Tyler Curiel, M.D. as the new director of the San Antonio Cancer Institute (SACI), a National Cancer Institute ( NCI )-designated cancer center and is one of only two centers with this prestigious distinction in Texas. Curiel is the former chief, section of hematology and medical oncology, at Tulane Medical School.
UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - Center for Targeted Therapy Research Building
The proposed facility will provide space for the expanding experimental and molecular therapy research programs that will enable the discovery and development of drugs that block genetic and molecular changes to treat and prevent cancers. M.D. Anderson aspires to be a world leader in targeting cancer cells through a variety of cancer-fighting elements, including biological, chemical, and physical agents.
