UT System cancels big Houston expansion (Dallas, Austin: apartment complexes, low crime, houses)

[Jack Lance]

These arguments from U of H boosters are telling. The only real argument that passes the smell test is UT tried to pull a end run around established channels to create this "intellectual hub" in Southwest Houston. This is true, but we all know that no matter how above board UT would have been in this matter, they would have opposed any UT expansion into Houston, for any reason, so there is a certain amount of disingenuousness in this tract.

Houston needs a more diverse intellectual base as evidenced by the way we all hold our collective breaths whenever the price of WTI takes a downturn. U of H claims they have and can provide all the public undergraduate and research functions needed for the economic well being of the Greater Houston economy, but we all know this is not the case, as my statement above indicates, we are not a fully diversified economy, and the main driver of our economy is what many people consider an outdated technology that will decline in import and relevance as the years go by.

Just because you are named the University of Houston does not mean that you OWN Houston, your arguments suggest you admit to academic shortcomings (based on unfair and uneven state funding) yet you believe Houston should shun any "outside" institution that may invade your turf which is a somewhat thuggish attitude to have. At the same time you will horse trade concessions for the right price. We will give up this, for a home and home football series , something else for admission to a athletic conference. Keeping up this turf war will not change opinions of U of H and in fact will reinforce negative feelings that U of H is a insular outlier in the states academic community.

The facts are undeniable UT could help the Greater Houston economy diversify practically overnight but we need to open the door and let them and perhaps others (Aggies ect..) in. We can open the University of Houston Spring Branch, and University of Houston whatever else, but it will never give us the academic diversity we need

[DabOnEm]

If anything, UH whoring itself out like this with all these different campus around the metro cuts into what the flagship could be. It starts to take on a community college feel with all these various campuses.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Spade

Probably a good reason why DFW continues to attract diverse industries to the region.



Unfortunately, universities most certainly are businesses and they do run as such. Student loans, tuition, etc. You don't pay that tuition, your account may head to collections. Also, I'm quite sure that Houston which is pushing 7 million people in its metro has room for another top notch public university.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Both our top private and our top public Universities are more prestigious. You also can't leave out that TSU, A&M, and UH-Clear Lake are also public universities (if that matters), and that St Thomas and Houston Baptist also play a large role.

People have usually have an illusion that Houston has a better college group than Dallas, but to me they are fairly even.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Both our top private and our top public Universities are more prestigious. You also can't leave out that TSU, A&M, and UH-Clear Lake are also public universities (if that matters), and that St Thomas and Houston Baptist also play a large role.

People have usually have an illusion that Houston has a better college group than Dallas, but to me they are fairly even.

I think its safe to say that overall DFW has a better university scene. Houston has Rice which is better than any DFW school, but just like there is an HBU, there is also a DBU (and a much better setting too).

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by DabOnEm

I think its safe to say that overall DFW has a better university scene. Houston has Rice which is better than any DFW school, but just like there is an HBU, there is also a DBU (and a much better setting too).

It's not safe to say. The mainstream assumption is that Houston is better. But they are very even. Both Houston and Dallas have a lot to offer on every side. Like you said, Rice is the better than anything in Dallas (and Texas for that matter), but Dallas does have SMU, that while it isn't Rice by any means, it's still a great school. UH is the second major urban University system (after CUNY). DFW has UNT, but it's not close to UH system.

If you take the biggest school in DFW, it's UT Arlington, with just unsee 40K. That's just a little less than UH (42K). If you add UT's other major campus in DFW, you get UT Dallas with 26K students. But wait you get UH's other campuses with UH Downtown and UH Clearlake, and they come at 14K and 9K respectively. So in total, there's 66K in DFW with its biggest system, and there's 65K at UH's entire schools, right there with eachother.

But wait, that's right, each city has other major public schools as well. DFW has its major system with UNT. That's 36K and 3K respectively, coming at 39K. You can also add Texas Women's University giving it 12 K bringing the number higher. Now Houston has TSU with 10K and Prarie View with 9K and A&M at Galveston with 2K.

Altogether, DFW does have the better edge of the public scene, but not by much. Houston has the larger edge with it's private scene with (Rice, St Thomas, HBU, NAU).

One thing that Houston does, however, excel in over Dallas is Universitt post grad centers. Particularly health centers (no surprise there), but also law centers.

But they're still very even. If UT were to actually build a large campus in Houston, it would give Houston the lead.

[SanJac]

I'm not an expert but from what I've read the amount of research dollars plays a bigger factor than university enrollment in terms of impact to local economy. Houston > DFW in this regard.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by SanJac

I'm not an expert but from what I've read the amount of research dollars plays a bigger factor than university enrollment in terms of impact to local economy. Houston > DFW in this regard.

That's a good point too. Houston schools do generally get more research dollars. But again, like I've been saying, both University scenes are very high, and people usually say one blows the other one, and neither one really does.

[Texas Ag 93]

Does anyone have an opinion on what, if any, impact the top 10% rule has had on UH? My own personal belief is that the increased requirements for admission to UT and A&M have had a positive trickle down effect on schools like UH, Texas State and possibly even Texas Tech etc. There are now some very good candidates from competitive HS that don't meet that 10% bar, but are in the top 20% or 25%, for example. I think a lot more of them are considering UH, as opposed to just going out of state.

Anyone agree (or disagree), and if so, why?

[ipuck]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Does anyone have an opinion on what, if any, impact the top 10% rule has had on UH? My own personal belief is that the increased requirements for admission to UT and A&M have had a positive trickle down effect on schools like UH, Texas State and possibly even Texas Tech etc. There are now some very good candidates from competitive HS that don't meet that 10% bar, but are in the top 20% or 25%, for example. I think a lot more of them are considering UH, as opposed to just going out of state.

Anyone agree (or disagree), and if so, why?

Most of the local kids that can't get into UT/ATM goes to UH and live on campus from my understanding.

Most kids here seem to be option 1 is the big 2 then is TT/UH/Baylor in no particular order.

I think out of state tuition is also making it prohibitive for a lot of kids to consider outside the state also.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by ipuck

Most of the local kids that can't get into UT/ATM goes to UH and live on campus from my understanding.

Exactly. I don't think this was as much the case until relatively recently. I met the threshold for automatic admission to UT and A&M back in the late 1980's based on my SAT score being above 1,000 and the fact that I was in the top 25% of my class. That wouldn't get me into either school today.....but back then, I never would have considered UH, now, good local students do. I think this improvement has continued to beget success.