UT and Austin

[BevoLJ]

I wanted to create a thread about what effects the many talked about changes to the UT System and mostly UT-Austin might have on the city itself. Austin has grown well beyond being just the state capitol and home of UT. But one of the major reasons that many of the companies that move here, move here, is because of the fact that one of the top 10 research universities in the US is located here. Just like why so many companies are created in or move to Silicon Valley because of Cal and Stanford. So even though its direct significance into the city has become lessoned as the city has grown and diversified so much it continues to play an important role in helping that as well.

Governor Perry has been pushing very hard many changes that I think are horrible for the UT and A&M systems. Both are great systems lead by two great school which were both in the top 25 nationally for undergrad as well as highly respected research institutions and in many areas top 10 to 5 nationally for post grad. As I see it, why fix something that ain't broke? Well the problem is just that... the state has cut funding and they are going broke. UT funding by the state has been cut by well over half. UT-Austin is now only 13% funded by the state, the rest in mostly by tuition. And that funding is what has already been cut in the past years. It is planned to be cut by even more to help fix the bloated state budget. Also that tuition is now pretty much the only thing funding the schools Perry wants to cut tuition in half as well. So how are the schools supposed to operate and maintain the high standards we expect from our top two university systems?

There are many changes that Perry wants to make. He wants to separate the Research aspects of the universities and focus more on the pure teaching aspects. He wants to cut tuition by half and create programs that cost no more than $10k for a degree, all while virtually removing state funding for the school. Also they want to increase the enrollment for UT Austin by 10% each year for the next 4 years. That would take UT Austin up to almost 70,000 students. All of this effects Austin.

Many of these changes have been embraced by A&M (Perry is a former Aggie cheerleader.. errr opps... Yell Leader after all, so of course they would assume he knows best how to educate our future leaders). This led to the AAU admonishing A&M. And I believe this was a big part of why their chancellor just resigned this week.

What do y'all think of the changes that Perry is proposing for UT and A&M? Obviously as someone who grew up in Austin as a Longhorn fan and got my MBA at UT I am very protective of the school and it is really hard to look at it objectively. But the State of Texas is broke. It has to cut funding somewhere and I get that. It wants to make sure the money it spends is being well spent and not waisted. I also get that. But removing funding and then watering down an institution that has helped make and keep Austin where it is today and hopefully continue to help Austin can't be good for Austin.

[Jdawgboy]

I can't stand Perry and it just boggles my mind that even with all the major cities in Texas, that voted against him, he still is in power. We need to have a 2 term limit!

[BevoLJ]

I really don't think there is any way he can now get reelected. I don't think he is even planning to. He has gone and pissed off pretty much all of the wealthiest most powerful Republicans in the state many of whom are Texas and Aggie alums. The Texas Exes Association is all kinds of up in arms and mad at him. I have gotten several email from them. And my Aggie friends who usually love him are saying the same thing.

[Samwill89]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

I really don't think there is any way he can now get reelected. I don't think he is even planning to. He has gone and pissed off pretty much all of the wealthiest most powerful Republicans in the state many of whom are Texas and Aggie alums. The Texas Exes Association is all kinds of up in arms and mad at him. I have gotten several email from them. And my Aggie friends who usually love him are saying the same thing.

I doubt it. He is in fairly good standing with the Texas Republican establishment, even after this debacle. This is but one issue.

And Perry's requests will not really be realized. UT has long planned on capping enrollment just below where they are. It would be nearly impossible for UT to accommodate an additional 40,000 students, faculty and staff and the administration would not let that happen. So no worries.

My only concern is the funding issue. It is a reality that middle-class families will continue to bear the brunt of added costs to higher education. I like Perry's proposal for a cheap, but efficient degree. However, I have reservations about forcing traditional four-year institutions to arrive to that end.

As progressive as the city is, Austin has a very special place in Rick Perry's heart. I've been paying a lot of attention to his efforts to lure tech companies here from California. When describing his greatest desire for his legacy as governor, he doesn't want to be known for cutting taxes, or banning gay marriage. He wants to be the guy who turned Central Texas into the nation's premier tech hub. He acknowledges that the university is THE reason why Austin is the place for CA tech businesses to relocate and will not screw that up if university officials strongly object to his proposals.

[BevoLJ]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...type=rss_local

Business, academic leaders back university research
By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:08 p.m. Thursday, May 19, 2011

Here's how George Smoot, a Nobel laureate and astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley, once explained the importance of research with no particular use in mind:

"People cannot foresee the future well enough to predict what's going to develop from basic research. If we only did applied research, we would still be making better spears."

That also sums up the view of several prominent business and academic leaders who participated in a panel discussion on academic research at the University of Texas on Thursday.

The timing and location of the forum, sponsored by the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, were no accident. The Austin flagship and the UT System governing board have been at the center of a months-long debate regarding faculty productivity, the proper mix of research and teaching, the future of online learning, and a funding model characterized by rising tuition and declining state appropriations.

The debate has been fueled in part by Gov. Rick Perry's suggestion that public universities carve out a bachelor's degree program costing no more than $10,000 in tuition, fees and books. The governor has also been an advocate of research that pays off in jobs, corporate spinoffs and the like.

The panelists didn't mention Perry or the UT System Board of Regents, but they agreed that big research universities like UT-Austin and Texas A&M University are, as UT-Dallas President David Daniel said, "the crown jewels of higher education in America and probably in the world."

He was essentially preaching to the choir. The members of the Texas academy consist of the state's Nobel laureates and more than 240 members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine — in short, the state's research elite.

....

[Schertz1]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Both are great systems lead by two great school which were both in the top 25 nationally for undergrad as well as highly respected research institutions and in many areas top 10 to 5 nationally for post grad.

True....both are great schools. However, neither is a top school, 25 best, for undergrads. The high rankings are based on research and post grad education. When you include non-research institutions in the rankings some lists have UT and A&M as low as 200. For each inclusive list showing UT/A&M in the top 25, there are 3 with a much lower ranking.

My opinion is public education should be supported before private ventures and I hope UT/A&M and the systems do not suffer too much for the sake of the State. One good thing is Texas is not alone when it comes to budget shortfalls. All public schools will suffer. As long as the markets perform, the private institutions (Rice, SMU, and Trinity for Texas) will continue to do well.

[feconi]

Originally Posted by Schertz1

True....both are great schools. However, neither is a top school, 25 best, for undergrads. The high rankings are based on research and post grad education. When you include non-research institutions in the rankings some lists have UT and A&M as low as 200. For each inclusive list showing UT/A&M in the top 25, there are 3 with a much lower ranking.

You're mostly right. Far more often than not, in both undergraduate rankings (e.g., USNWR) and overall "world" rankings (which generally emphasize university-wide research productivity), UT lands somewhere in the top 35-75 range and TAMU is generally not far behind. The only time I see top 5-10 rankings for these schools are for specific colleges or programs, e.g., the school of engineering or the accounting program. Neither is a "top" school in the usual sense, but they are easily the two best public schools in this region, and critically important to the state of Texas.

As far as Perry's proposed "changes" to UT--I echo Samwill89's sentiments, namely that sweeping curriculum changes, significantly discounted bachelor's degrees, and a doubling of undergraduate enrollment are all extremely unlikely to materialize anytime soon, particularly at UT. Notwithstanding the internal resistance by faculty, administrators, and influential alumni, such plans would require tremendous investment of both time and, critically, money (for planning but also infrastructure).

However, by presenting his assault on higher education under the guise of "reform," Perry might be able to carve out larger chunks of state support for UT and other schools, which will have negative effects such as layoffs, tuition increases, etc. No matter what, UT stands to lose with him in office.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by feconi

You're mostly right. Far more often than not, in both undergraduate rankings (e.g., USNWR) and overall "world" rankings (which generally emphasize university-wide research productivity), UT lands somewhere in the top 35-75 range and TAMU is generally not far behind. The only time I see top 5-10 rankings for these schools are for specific colleges or programs, e.g., the school of engineering or the accounting program. Neither is a "top" school in the usual sense, but they are easily the two best public schools in this region, and critically important to the state of Texas.

As far as Perry's proposed "changes" to UT--I echo Samwill89's sentiments, namely that sweeping curriculum changes, significantly discounted bachelor's degrees, and a doubling of undergraduate enrollment are all extremely unlikely to materialize anytime soon, particularly at UT. Notwithstanding the internal resistance by faculty, administrators, and influential alumni, such plans would require tremendous investment of both time and, critically, money (for planning but also infrastructure).

However, by presenting his assault on higher education under the guise of "reform," Perry might be able to carve out larger chunks of state support for UT and other schools, which will have negative effects such as layoffs, tuition increases, etc. No matter what, UT stands to lose with him in office.

Yes... and...

What I find most preposterous in all of this is the "holier than thou attitude" that assumes that no one at the university is ever revising curriculum or working to make the system better. It is absolutely insulting to the faculty as a whole. I taught at UT for 10 years and There is not a person I worked with who did not constantly look to bring new information to students and get better support for students (and faculty). I am deeply troubled and perplexed at the politicalization of the funding of public education. It does not come from an even vaguely altruistic place.