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|Wrap Up from the State of Texas Biennial Legislative Session
June 13, 2007
Dear Colleagues:
As you know, the state's biennial legislative session ended recently. I want to update you on some good news regarding UT Arlington.
You may recall the announcement this spring that UT Arlington would lose more than $16 million from its projected budget, equal to more than 10 percent of its funding from the state. This included several million dollars lost because of a change in the formula that legislators use to fund state universities. The new formula especially hurt universities like ours, with large programs in engineering, nursing, and teacher education. Following this announcement, an effort to restore our funding began immediately. This was led by Senator Chris Harris, Senator Kim Brimer, Representative Diane Patrick and the rest of the Arlington delegation, including Representatives Pierson, Smith and Zedler.
I'm happy to report that the final budget passed by both houses erases that $16 million loss. What's more, our legislators obtained an additional $12 million to fund the debt service on the $110 million Engineering Research Building at UT Arlington. This commitment will transform our capacity for engineering research and will make a real difference for the State of Texas. Additionally, $3 million in new funding was appropriated to the University to encourage research and development.
"I am thrilled that the University serving my district will now be funded sufficiently so that they may continue to produce some of the best and brightest students in Texas," Senator Harris said. "UT Arlington is one of the state's top producers of students in Nursing and Engineering, and in order to meet the growing demands in each of these fields, we must continue to adequately fund the academic institutions, such as The University of Texas at Arlington, that produce these graduates."
"Ensuring that UT Arlington did not suffer financial loss was my first priority this legislative session," said Representative Diane Patrick. "The many students who UT Arlington serves will benefit greatly from this accomplishment."
The University could not have accomplished this without our legislative delegation. They worked tirelessly, meeting with budget writers and repeatedly pressing to restore full funding to UT Arlington. We are extremely grateful to our local lawmakers, the other legislators who sit on the budget committees, and statewide leadership for their vision. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our dedicated legislators.
"Higher Education has always been a top priority for me, and UT Arlington is instrumental in bringing high-quality educational opportunities while developing a world-class research program," Senator Brimer said. "We could not allow funding to decrease. We were successful but we still have more work to do to continue to strengthen the university. It is imperative that during the interim, we all work together toward this goal for the benefit of the region and state."
I'm also grateful for the support of alumni and friends in the community, who are such an important voice for UT Arlington. For example, during this session corporate leaders in the North Texas engineering community organized and spoke up about their desire for a strong UT Arlington. They also tell us their work has just begun.
Finally, many thanks to the faculty and staff of UT Arlington for your commitment to providing the best education for our students, innovation in the classroom and laboratories of our campus, and for personifying in the community what it means to be a Maverick. Our work must continue to strengthen as well.
For more information on the legislative session, go to www.uta.edu/gov. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Kettles, director of Governmental and Community Relations, at (817) 272-3893 or kkettles@uta.edu.
Sincerely,
James D. Spaniolo
President
Find Your State Representatives at: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
