AUSTIN ? The University of Texas System began clearing the logistical brush required for a new university in the Rio Grande Valley as regents Wednesday approved guiding principals for its development along with a series of land deals ? costing about $44.8 million ? for campus space in downtown Brownsville.
Under the new goals, the system expects the school to integrate technology to boost affordability and student success and to become ?one of the largest and most successful Hispanic-serving institutions in the United States.?
?I was thinking there was probably going to be a lot of mom and apple pie and maybe not as much brick and mortar and substance. ... But I was pleased to see how concrete and visionary and substantive these principles are,? said regent Robert Stillwell. ?I'm proud of these. I think we all should be.?
In May, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 24, to create the new university by merging UT-Pan American in Edinburg and UT-Brownsville and eventually spinning the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio's regional campus in South Texas into a medical school for the institution.
Though Gov. Rick Perry has already approved the legislation, he will hold ceremonial signings at UT-PanAm and in Brownsville on Tuesday.
UT-PanAm President Robert Nelsen said the new university's focus on producing leaders who are ?bicultural, bilingual, and biliterate,? per the new guidelines, will make the school unique.
The bill gave the new school access to the Permanent University Fund, a public endowment. The system may tap into the PUF to help pay for the land exchanges to unwind UT-B from its partnership with Texas Southmost College by August 2015, said Scott Kelley, the system's executive vice chancellor for business affairs.
After the land and building exchanges between UT and TSC, the junior college will be located northwest of Ringgold Road and UT-B southeast of it, according to board documents.
In an effort that UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa said required ?hundreds and hundreds of hours of work,? the university will get the land on which UT-B's Education and Business Complex sits, along with TSC's library and classroom building on University Boulevard and the Student Center building, among other areas.
TSC will receive the Science, Engineering and Technology Building, worth $16.3 million, and a cash settlement of about $28.5 million. TSC officials did not return requests for comment.
With the TSC land exchange and possible later acquisitions of other parcels, UT plans to create a ?compact urban campus? in Brownsville, according to the documents.
Under the deal, TSC students can still access the library through August 2016 and Life and Health Sciences building lab space. UT-Brownsville students will be able to use the Wellness Center.
Sens. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, and Juan ?Chuy? Hinojosa, D-McAllen, spoke after the board voted. Lucio said future generations ?will be so fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a world class university and medical school.? Hinojosa said education was one of society's best equalizers and called the progress toward the university ?a dream come true.?
Regents Chairman Gene Powell also introduced new UT regent Ernest Aliseda of McAllen but said fellow newcomer Jeffery Hildebrand of Houston had a scheduled event that kept him from attending. It was the first board meeting since the two men, along with re-appointee Paul Foster of El Paso, survived an intense grilling session before receiving Senate confirmation.
UT spokeswomen said Hildebrand and Aliseda have already been sworn in.
jlloyd@express-news.net
Twitter: @jlloydster
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