Texas A&M Campus (San Antonio, Kingsville: 2010, construction, elementary school)

[DrawDestiny]

I've been going to Palo Alto for a while now cause it's one of only two college I know of near by (the other being St Philips). I live in Adkins, and have been dreading having to commute to college all the way on the other side of town just because there's barely anything near-by. Adding a nice, close by college campus is fantastic. This side of town feels totally neglected, my sister goes to UTSA and there's a million things to do on the North west side. Mall, social gathering places, we need a college on this side to bring some social and economical oppurtunities closer to everyone on the south east.

I can't afford to drive an hour to an hour and a half across town everyday to go to school and socialize with other college age people...

[tgannaway89]

I really don't think the Southside has any warrant in saying they "need" or "deserve" a major university. The Southside has 2 colleges already. That is more than most other cities in Texas have (my hometown for example). Those cities don't become crime ridden and miss out on growth because they lack a major 4-year university. I am really glad that SA is getting another public 4-year university. I used to think it would be a good economic-generator for the Southside, but I think that is only a fantasy. Is there really a large demand for a public 4-year university in Southside? Education is expensive and sadly Texas isn't the best state for helping out when it comes to higher education. I wish they should either hold-off until the Southside shows that need (perhaps another decade when the area has developed more) or locate it in a more prominent location. I only see this as a costly mistake in the meantime. Hopefully in the future it is able to reach that 30,000 mark they are hoping for.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by tgannaway89

I really don't think the Southside has any warrant in saying they "need" or "deserve" a major university. The Southside has 2 colleges already. That is more than most other cities in Texas have (my hometown for example). Those cities don't become crime ridden and miss out on growth because they lack a major 4-year university. I am really glad that SA is getting another public 4-year university. I used to think it would be a good economic-generator for the Southside, but I think that is only a fantasy. Is there really a large demand for a public 4-year university in Southside? Education is expensive and sadly Texas isn't the best state for helping out when it comes to higher education. I wish they should either hold-off until the Southside shows that need (perhaps another decade when the area has developed more) or locate it in a more prominent location. I only see this as a costly mistake in the meantime. Hopefully in the future it is able to reach that 30,000 mark they are hoping for.

A university isn't a shopping mall. If it was, all universities would only be in high density areas. In fact, many universities, public and private, are plunked down in the middle of nowhere. The result is a boom to the local economy (more jobs, more students = more use of local services = increase in local services such as shopping, restaurants, etc).

While A&M, like any university, would serve a local population, it would also serve to attract people from around the state who would move to this southside location and contribute to the local life.

The south side has its issues, but it's not the crime infested swamp people on the northside seem to think it is. Kudos to A&M for recognizing a very worthwhile area in which to build (not to mention the land is probably tons cheaper on the southside....)

FWIW - some of the most prestigious universities in the US are either in the middle of nowhere (Dartmouth) or in extremely crime-infested areas (Yale - and the medical school is in an even worse part of town than the main campus). Yet they attract the top students from around the country.

[tgannaway89]

Originally Posted by Chaka

A university isn't a shopping mall. If it was, all universities would only be in high density areas. In fact, many universities, public and private, are plunked down in the middle of nowhere. The result is a boom to the local economy (more jobs, more students = more use of local services = increase in local services such as shopping, restaurants, etc).

While A&M, like any university, would serve a local population, it would also serve to attract people from around the state who would move to this southside location and contribute to the local life.

The south side has its issues, but it's not the crime infested swamp people on the northside seem to think it is. Kudos to A&M for recognizing a very worthwhile area in which to build (not to mention the land is probably tons cheaper on the southside....)

FWIW - some of the most prestigious universities in the US are either in the middle of nowhere (Dartmouth) or in extremely crime-infested areas (Yale - and the medical school is in an even worse part of town than the main campus). Yet they attract the top students from around the country.

Those Universities tend to be historical and attract students worldwide. Guess what. A Southside San Antonio campus will attract people from Southside San Antonio. I doubt anyone from the Northside would even make the drive. It isn't going to really attract people from very far. Texas is funding its colleges less and less each year. From a business stand-point it isn't a wise investment. I think it is a good thing for the Southside and the city as a whole, but in the end would have been better had it been built either elsewhere or at a later date. As a matter of fact the school has yet to reach the enrollment classification of a university. They tried to have Congress cut back on regulations so they'd begin to acquire federal funding, but in the end lost out.

[Topperone]

Tgannaway, you seem to expect immediate results with the A&M campus. It won't be like that. Chaka is right, most big university schools either were at one time in the middle of nowhere or are still in the middle of nowhere. They too started off with small enrollment, small regional draw, etc. Now they're big university decades and decades later. To say northsiders or anyone not living on the south side wouldn't commute to the south side to go to an A&M University is just preposterous. The University will be a major draw not only for the south side but all the metro San Antonio.

[schertz1]

I, for one, am glad Texas A&M chose the South-side as the location for their San Antonio campus. Yes, it will take a while to grow to UTSA size but UTSA was not an overnight success either. The A&M name alone will pull people from Central and South Texas, not just South-side San Antonio. I expect A&M San Antonio will rival UTSA within 20 year.

[Chaka]

Compare it to the Uni of California or Cal State campuses. Many are in less than ideal locations, and initially drew from the local community. Over time these draw from a wide range of people across the state.

[CelesteDF]

tgannaway - as previous posters have noted, you seem to want everything right now, and that's not how major infrastructure projects work. This conversation about TAMU-SA has already been hashed and rehashed, and I'm unclear as to how you don't see the parallel between UTSA's origins and TAMU-SA's.

In this post http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...ml#post2604719 I recalled what North San Antonio looked like 30 years ago when UTSA was built. Cows were mooing, sheep were bleating and people would amble out for a stroll or the occasional bike ride across the two lane country road known as 1604. There were no people living out there then, just as South Bexar County is lightly populated today. Make no mistake, between Toyota, TAMU-SA and the environmental pressures associated with building north, 30 years from now you won't recognize the southern part of Bexar County. Let's just hope they build smarter on the south side than they did up north.

Oh, and btw - when it opened, UTSA was not the major university you know today... it was a tiny one-building campus with a few hundred students who had to travel from all over to get there. Fast forward 30 years and it's the 2nd largest UT-system campus with more than half of students coming from outside Bexar County. There is every reason to expect that TAMU-SA will follow the same path, drawing from the local community and eventually becoming a regional destination school drawing from all over South Texas.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by CelesteDF

In this post http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...ml#post2604719 I recalled what North San Antonio looked like 30 years ago when UTSA was built. Cows were mooing, sheep were bleating and people would amble out for a stroll or the occasional bike ride across the two lane country road known as 1604. There were no people living out there then, just as South Bexar County is lightly populated today. Make no mistake, between Toyota, TAMU-SA and the environmental pressures associated with building north, 30 years from now you won't recognize the southern part of Bexar County. Let's just hope they build smarter on the south side than they did up north.

Now I'm going to take back my support for TAMU-SA! I like the country roads and cows on the southside and relative peace. I don't want it to become like the northside!

[oldmanshirt]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Now I'm going to take back my support for TAMU-SA! I like the country roads and cows on the southside and relative peace. I don't want it to become like the northside!

Might want to go take some pictures for posterity, cuz its not gonna be like that for much longer!