UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WITHDRAWS PROPOSAL
FOR NORTHWEST CAMPUS
Additional Restrictions From Coordinating Board Make It Impossible
to Proceed
HOUSTON, Sept. 29, 2006 – The University of Houston has
withdrawn its proposal to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board to create a campus in Northwest Houston.
Although the board recently voted to approve such a proposal,
a number of last-minute amendments were included that significantly
altered the nature of the original proposal. After careful consideration
of these amendments, UH officials determined that they would make
moving forward with the creation of this campus unfeasible.
“We are committed to supporting the state’s ‘Closing
the Gaps’ initiative to meet the growing need for higher education
resources in Texas. Establishing a campus in northwest Houston,
where there is such a clear need for upper-level and graduate programs,
would be a considerable challenge, but we were prepared to undertake
it,” said UH President Jay Gogue. “However, these additional
restrictions placed on us make it impossible to proceed. It’s
no longer financially viable.”
The board amended its original proposal to substantially extend
the time period that Prairie View A&M could preclude UH from
offering more than a dozen academic programs at the proposed Northwest
campus. It also extended the time period in which Prairie View A&M
and Sam Houston State University could choose to exercise an option
to lease and/or purchase space at the newly created facility.
“Naturally, we are disappointed with this outcome,”
said Donald J. Foss, provost and senior vice president for academic
affairs at UH. “We made this proposal for a new campus at
the urging of many community and business leaders in the area who
were understandably concerned about the need for additional higher
education resources in this northwest part of Houston. That need
still exists and the University of Houston will now begin exploring
alternative approaches to help address it.”
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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