Hegar backs Sugar Land transition from UHV
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HEGAR'S RESPONSEVia email, Sen. Glenn Hegar last week replied to questions related to the UH System proposal. However, the newspaper did not receive his reply, apparently because of an email system glitch.
Hegar on Monday provided a copy of ...
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HEGAR'S RESPONSEVia email, Sen. Glenn Hegar last week replied to questions related to the UH System proposal. However, the newspaper did not receive his reply, apparently because of an email system glitch.
Hegar on Monday provided a copy of the email, which showed his office did send comments as promised.
On Sunday, the Advocate reported Hegar declined comment for a related story. Hegar's in-office email record shows he did, in fact, attempt to comment and thus did not decline the opportunity to do so.
State Sen. Glenn Hegar supports a proposal that could shake up the University of Houston-Victoria's operations by transitioning the Sugar Land learning center to the main campus.
Hegar, a Katy Republican whose district includes Victoria and Sugar Land, backs the move in part because it would create degree opportunities for residents of the Houston suburb and elsewhere, he said.
"... All three campuses under UHV - Victoria, Sugar Land and Katy - have the ability to increase in presence and status," Hegar said via email. "The citizens of Texas and students, who are seeking a degree, will suffer if people view decisions about the three campuses in the context of a win for one is a loss for another."
The University of Houston System proposes making the UH System at Sugar Land a branch of its main campus, the University of Houston. Hegar said he asked the system a year ago to increase the presence of its member schools in his district.
Students enrolled in UHV programs at the UH System at Sugar Land and UH System at Cinco Ranch count toward the Victoria university's population.
Half of UHV's faculty and more than half of its students, in fact, reside in Harris and Fort Bend counties and take courses online and in those centers. The Sugar Land center is mainly comprised of UHV-affiliated students and faculty.
Many leaders in Sugar Land have for years pushed for its multi-institution learning center - a facility where more than one school offers classes - to become a freestanding university. Sugar Land is a fast-growing, wealthy city that argues it deserves a stronger voice at the table.
But what would the cost be to UHV, the school that stepped in to offer several degrees programs via the Sugar Land center when the main campus did not? Fewer UHV-affiliated students could mean less funding and fewer programs for the university.
If the transition occurs, UHV will continue to teach certain programs in Sugar Land, although those programs and the duration of their existence is unknown at this time.
"The transition will be done in a way to minimize the impact on UHV," Richard Bonnin, a UH System spokesman, said in an email. "The proposal you reference is one of many options available to the UH System. In no way has a decision been made."
The system could not transition Sugar Land without the Legislature's authorization, Bonnin added.
Many leaders in Victoria saw this day coming. They started the push to grow the Victoria campus, in part, because so much of UHV depended upon serving students in Houston.
Core concerns remain among those who want UHV to move into the A&M System, an aim set forth in legislation filed in March by state Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria.
"As I've always said, I'm concerned that our vision in Victoria does not match the UH System, which is focusing on becoming a metropolitan university," Victoria Mayor Will Armstrong said. "Sugar Land is part of metropolitan Houston. Victoria is not. I'm much more concerned about us building a destination university here in Victoria, and I know we can if we have a partner who shares our vision."
Hegar has said he opposes the inclusion of the Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch learning centers if UHV transfers to the A&M System. He also said a decision that benefits one campus should not be to the detriment of another.
"Pitting one against another is divisive and serves absolutely no purpose," Hegar said. "Obviously, efforts by UH to improve the Victoria campus have ceased for the last few months due to the legislative effort ... That issue must be resolved, and I suspect that we will have a definitive direction to pursue after this summer."
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Hey Willie, Yes you Mayor Willie. That Nuclear bomb you have is actually a fire cracker. I have a strong feeling that this foolishness will end Geanie Morrison's political career
May 11, 2011 at 2:54 a.m.holein1,
I'm guessing by your response that means there are next to no elected officials in the CCE. Also, where is the list that shows Jaeckle and Murphy as being on the CCE? Or the list that shows what else the CCE has worked on?
I'm saying that if you are making decisions without thinking them through, decisions that could effect the lives of thousands of people (staff, faculty, families, students, businesses that do business with the UHV, etc.) then there better be a representative group of people to vouch for those faculty, staff, students, etc. Elected officials face consequences if things go south (not getting re-elected), business leaders suffer no such consequences.
Sorry, but the people that stand the most to lose never had a voice in this whole process.
May 10, 2011 at 8:47 p.m.vox, so you're saying that unless you are an elected offical then you can't represent the citizens or that only elected officals can have input on behalf of citizens?
May 10, 2011 at 6:33 p.m.I'd also like someone to list the members of the CCE that are elected officials. Those that have been voted in to represent the citizens of Victoria and to make decisions on our behalf.
May 10, 2011 at 5:04 p.m.Just to add a little to the talk about UH not wanting Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch...I may be remembering things differently so if I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.
A few years back, when they began talk about downward expansion there was some kind of discussion going on about whether or not to grant the expansion to Victoria or Sugar Land. After much debate the choice was made and Victoria won. It was that or it was about whether or not to change the branch from UH-Victoria to UH-Sugar Land and have Victoria fall under Sugar Land jurisdiction. I can't remember the exact details. If pressed I will find out, but I imagine someone else on this forum remembers it.
May 10, 2011 at 4:47 p.m.Not sure where you get your information HoleIn1, the list of members provided by the Advocate is here:
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/...
I don't see Jaeckle or Murphy listed. Maybe that changed since the article. Kind of hard to tell what the CCE is doing--no web page, no facebook, can't find anything on the chamber's website.
If you know where to find out who the current CCE members are and what it is up to, please let us know.
If they didn't consult with Dr. Smith, who else would they consult with before filing the bill? They certainly didn't let the acting president, staff, or faculty know...and that's a fact.
May 10, 2011 at 4:24 p.m.vox, it doesn't matter if Hudson was the only UHV member on the committee, which he wasn't, but that alone does not mean they didn't consult with anyone. Don't let facts get in your way. Some other folks on the CCE, Eric Murphy, UH-Victoria President's Advisory Board, Dan Jaeckle, faculty senate president, UH-Victoria.
May 10, 2011 at 4:08 p.m.formersting...you hit the nail pretty much on the head. When I was at UHV, the university built a replica of the newest building out in SugarLand to expand the learning center there and then a remote center in Cinco Ranch. UH really did nothing with them and did not care about the area, until they became something of significance.
May 10, 2011 at 3:47 p.m.Additionally, if you know of something else that the Crossroad Commission on Education has done besides this whole UHV fiasco, please let us know. I've looked everywhere and can't find anything.
May 10, 2011 at 3:08 p.m.This becomes very concerning for our community. IMO the city of Victoria is now in real jeapordy of maintaining this 4 year institution in it's current form. It is a very real possibility that UHV returns to being a 2 year upper division, commuter only school, with limited programs and limited activities. People do not realize how important Sugarland and Katy are to the survival of UHV. How on earth do you think they pay the employees, keep the lights on, fund athletics, and pay for daily operating cost. The fees and tuition that the Victoria campus collects from nearly 4 thousand students registered at Sugarland and Katy is essential for the current Victoria campus to even operate. This attempt to "break free" from the UH System, has now clearly set Victoria back, and placed the entire institution back. "Destination University" should be the last thing on their minds, and mere survival should be the top priority. Whether we agree with the sytem or the city leaders, our focus needs to be a plan to keep what we got afloat. This is now thin ice we tread upon.
May 10, 2011 at 2:52 p.m.Add the attempt to switch universities as the latest...
Boondoggle or boon doggle may refer to: Boondoggle (project), term for a scheme that wastes time and money
In fact in would be amusing to start a list of the boondoggles to grace Victoria in the last five years.
May 10, 2011 at 2:40 p.m.booger, how do you know that they didn't consult anyone at UHV? I'm sorry, but that would be even too dumb for Geanie.
RedRage00, what exactly is it that you think Victoria deserves?
mytwocents, how do you know that the commission hasn't done anything else besides its involvement in the UHV issue?
May 10, 2011 at 2:21 p.m.Representative Morrison and the Victoria Good Ole Boys Club never once consulted with UHV's administration, faculty, or staff before proposing the A&M switch, and now it's those people who are caught in the crossfire and whose careers are in jeopardy because of her actions. Hopefully the UH system will not punish UHV because of the words and actions of Victoria politicians.
May 10, 2011 at 1:31 p.m.Somtheing to think about...has anyone asked why 2 campuses that for all practical purposes are IN HOUSTON were even part of Victoria to begin with? Is it because back then UH did not want them and now that they are thriving with students UH wants them?
May 10, 2011 at 1:14 p.m.Mytwocents LOL at you...did u even read that this was coming no matter what? The "explosives" were an attempt to out maneuver...poor attempt, but hegar is the trigger puller...always was going to be.
May 10, 2011 at 12:48 p.m.uh, will. How about staying on track with the topic of the story? You got some deep seeded anger issues there, man.
May 10, 2011 at 11:06 a.m.Well Victoria HOW ARE THE REPUBLICANS TREATING YOU? How about you GOLIAD? Goliad, you get glowing water and the lovelyness thats comes with strip mining uranium, but hey Victoria, your destination plans are all out the window.
May 10, 2011 at 10:08 a.m.How about the Union Busting? Come on Plant Bubas, where are you on this issue? If the Dems let you keep your AK's so you can hunt squirrels, will you vote these other crooks out?
Goliad, you can barrow our PR and say bring your hazmat boots.
Same with the Nuclear Plant glowing up on the San Antonio river.
Morrison can claim she was asleep, like Reagan and does not remember conversations on this vauge issue.
This whole idea makes sense. Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch aren't even in Victoria.
Looks like Victoria is getting what they deserve!
May 10, 2011 at 8:53 a.m.Ugh, Oh! "Houston we have a problem"!
May 10, 2011 at 8:50 a.m.what onestar said!
May 10, 2011 at 7:16 a.m.im going to go out on a limb here and say the other campuses were leaving regardless
May 9, 2011 at 8:31 p.m.I dont know Onestar, the mayor and morrison and their group didn't pull the trigger. May have been put us on the radar, but Hegar and his cronies including the UH chancelor are the ones pulling the trigger. In all reality it wouldn't suprise me to find out that Hegar and UH planned this for over a year and the only way UHV could hold it all together was to switch systems. It will be a cold day in hell before hegar gets my vote again, if he is even in our district for the next election. It's obvious, like UH, he has completely different objectives and priorities and Victoria is not even close to being on them. I had actually started to begin to not want to switch, now in the last couple of days...it would make me sick to see UH in the local university name (assuming there still is one in a couple of years)
May 9, 2011 at 8:29 p.m.Well that nails it. Upper level college is dead in Victoria 's future
The mayor and Morrison and their group killed it. KILLED IT DEAD
The mayor needs to resign. His administration has been nothing but conflict durin g his entire term. Victoria joins the laguhing stock communities like Castroville ,floresville and Sante Fe Texas. His legecy is that he is the only mayor in the enitre history of the city of victoria that was ever indicted by a Grand Jury.
He needs to go
May 9, 2011 at 8:08 p.m.