UHCL Postpones Expansion Proposal

By Luis Aceres

The proposed legislation regarding the downward expansion was originally set to have been introduced to the Texas Legislature in the 2009 session, however it has been decided that the proposal will be postponed until the 2011 session.
Many items of importance regarding downward expansion were taken into account concerning this decision. Some of these items include the further discussion of the needs among groups and organizations of key interest such as the local school districts and community colleges.
“Once the university obtains the authority for downward expansion, we will decide what year we will exercise that authority based on the financial condition of the university, among other factors,” said William Staples, president of University of Houston-Clear Lake.
UHCL’s plans for downward expansion was approved by The University of Houston System Board of Regents last December. One of the plan’s qualifications to be met was that UHCL would begin admitting freshman in 2012.
“Whether the downward expansion was proposed during the 2009 legislative session or the 2011 session, our original resolution was to admit freshmen by 2012,” Staples said. “We are planning to be prepared for that date.”
If there is an approval from the state legislature in 2011, “it is an approval to start planning but it is not required to act on it,” said Dion McInnis, associate vice president for university advancement at UHCL
McInnis noted that this is a very multifaceted subject and many factors go into account to determine the best strategy to address the planning of downward expansion.
“Fundraising is something that we are always going to be mindful of,” McInnis said. “We know there is always going to be fundraising and we know we will always need scholarships.    Fundraising never kicks in until the plan is approved.
“We first must obtain a clear understanding of what our donors are willing to support. From there on, we can then start to determine our needs. Then we can begin to examine our vision, value and needs and see how we may align ourselves with the interests of our donors and other fellow supporters. We both have visions, values and needs and depending on where those overlap will determine our options.”