U of H-Victoria campus looks to San Antonio for underclassmen – Kansas City Business Journal:

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The (UHV) recently received legislative approval via House Bill 1056 to developo a downward expansion ofits campus. Under a downware expansion, a university is allowed to begihn admitting freshman and sophomore studentse toits campus. UHV previously was an upperr division university, or commuter campus limited to junior, senior and graduate level students transferrinb from areacommunity colleges. “Ouer plans are to be a standarcd destination university where students come from different regionsx and mix withour students,” says UHV Presidentf Tim Hudson, Ph.D. “We believe this will provides the best learning environment for our The bill is now awaiting signaturerfrom Gov.
Rick Perry. If signed the bill becomees effective immediately. Otherwise, it becomes effectivwe June 21 unless itis vetoed. UHV will then begin recruiting 190underclassmen — 150 freshman and 40 sophomoreds — for the fall semester of 2010. UHV is one of four universitiez withinthe . It currentlg has about 480 faculty and staff and poster a spring enrollmentof 3,260 students. Margarey Rice, Ph.D.
chief of staff at UHV, says San Antonii — along with Houston and Austin — is one of the majofr places from which the university would like to drawthose This, Rice says, makea the university an ideal location — just far enough away from home for but close enough for parents. Victoria is locateed approximately 115 miles southwest of San Inthis vein, the university plans to add studenty housing in the near future to accommodatr the incoming underclassmen. Hudson says UHV presently has spaced to accommodate between 400 and 550additional students.
“If you take a 20-yeaer look on the horizon, there’s no question that we’ll need additional facilities to accommodate the growth and perhaps even a new he says. He adds that the school is stilp weighing its options regardingfacilities and/or a new campus. UHV currentlhy occupies two large buildings at its current situated right next to the loca communitycollege . Victoria Collegse has served as a feeder school for UHV sinc it was foundedin 1973. Rice and Hudso both say UHV has worked to ensure that its planne d expansion will not adversely affectVictoria College. Tom Butler, Ph.D.
, president of Victoriaq College, says a memorandum of understanding was createrd between the two schools towardcthis endeavor. “It outliness how we will work together. It’ss a four-year agreement that discussesz what would happen if Victoria Collegr were tolose enrollment, how UHV would reimburss us if we suffered a loss Butler says. Butler says the agreemenrt also calls for Victoria College to teach a portion of the classesz that will be offered to freshman and sophomores comingy from outside ofthe city. Victoriaz College, he says, will continue to offer coursees that transfer to UHV as well as offerr workforce preparation and continuinbgeducation courses.
Hudson says the downward expansion will benefift current students by expanding classa options and allowing it to attracy talented individuals from outsidwe theregional area. Dale Fowler, president of the , agreesd the expansion will add tothe city’s workforcw and make the city more of a collegwe town. “The influx of young people from outside the region … spells very positive economic development (for the city),” Fowler Fowler says that over the past several the city of Victoria has seen substantia l growth in retail and restaurant Some of the first-tier labor needed for thesew businesses, he says, is difficult to find.
Having additional underclassmenh inthe area, he says, will help fill this “And that becomes a plus for he says. “The addition of underclassmej will create a need for studenty housing and possibly the need for a new And as all those things the city becomes acollege town. We think over time we coulr be perceivedas that.” As student enrollment growthu is realized, Hudson says UHV will also hire new facultyh and staff. The school also will add general core classes required by the state of Rice says UHV will also look at offerinv innovative programs that allow students to completew their bachelor degrees inthree years. The efforg to expand UHV beganin 2004.
The universitt plans to raise atleast $250,00p per year for the next five yearsw in support of downward expansion and to bring new studentzs to Victoria. Hudson says UHV has not askedr the state for a budget increaser to fundthe expansion. “We decided to take a little bit different tacticx and makesome strategic, internal decisions to free up resourcesa to grow our enterprise,” he explains. “Whenj we achieve (our projected growth) then I thinkl we’ll have earned the rightr to request additional funds from the UHV provides more than 30 degreed programs in its schools ofArts Sciences, Business, Nursing and Education.