UT System may buy almost 38 acres for expansion of UTRGV and its medical school into McAllen, announces Rep. Terry Canales
The campus of The University of Texas at Austin, “a sprawling urban oasis, is nicknamed the Forty Acres after the size of its original footprint”, according to that now-massive, nationally-ranked state university.
admissions.utexas.edu/explore/forty-acresBut McAllen may soon have an almost identically-sized foundation to build upon – 37.82 acres, to be exact – with the recent approval by the UT System Board of Regents to begin the process to buy land for future expansion by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its School of Medicine, according to Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg.
“When this dream comes true for the City of McAllen, it will join Edinburg, Brownsville, and other Valley cities as major public campuses of higher education and jobs creation,” said Canales, whose House District 40, anchored in Edinburg, is home to the largest campus and a significant component of UTRGV’sSchool of Medicine.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, Weslaco, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
Canales also noted that the UTRGV campus in Edinburg also has more than 50 acres available for expansion in that city.
“In mid-August 2015, the UT System Board of Regents authorized the purchase of about 53 acres, located at the southeast quadrant of North Sugar Road and West Chapin Street in Edinburg, for future campus expansion,” Canales said. “You could put a law school and expand the medical school and much more on those 53 acres in Edinburg, and the same goes for the rest of the UTRGV campuses in the Valley.”
On Thursday, June 24, 2021, the UT System Board of Regents discussed in executive session, as allowed by state law because it dealt with possibly purchasing land, then approved the following direction they would take, which was published on its agenda packet, which was posted online and ahead of the meeting:
“UT Rio Grande Valley: Discussion and appropriate action regarding the purchase of approximately 37.82 acres of unimproved land along the south side of Pecan Boulevard between Jackson Road and McColl Road and bisected by Commerce Center Street, located within a development known as 495 Commerce Center, in McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas from 495 Commerce Center Partners, Ltd. and 495-McColl Partners, Ltd., form future campus expansion and other mission-related purposes, including use by UTRGV’s School of Medicine.”
Canales noted that no other details have been publicly released about the plan by UT System and UTRGV leaders, but said he will be working closely with all parties affected to help make sure the Valley’s best interests are protected and promoted.
The Thursday, June 24, 2021 agenda packet for the UT System Board of Regents, which contains the initial information about the proposed site of the expansion for UTRGV and its School of Medicine is available online at:
www.utsystem.edu/sites/default/files/offices/board-of-regents/board-meetings/agenda-book-full/6-24-2021AB.pdfThe videotape of the Thursday, June 24, 2021 meeting of the UT System Board of Regents, in which the first information of the expansion plan, is available online at:
www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/meetings/board-meeting-2021-06-24In the meantime, Canales – who serves as Chair, House Committee of Transportation, did provide some background information relating to the location of the proposed McAllen campus, including:
• 495 Commerce Center is a 110-acre master-planned, mixed-use business park in McAllen, Texas. 495 Commerce Center is the only Class “A” business park south of San Antonio and is professionally planned to put businesses on the fast track to success. This prime development is thoughtfully designed with landscaping elements that enhance the whole park from the jogging trails to the central water feature focal point.
• 495 Commerce Center is a secure investment. The business park offers various sized lots starting at 1 acre that are ultimately customized to fit the client’s needs. An Owners Association and Common Area Maintenance program promote property values while the Architectural & Development Standards control building types, uses, mix, as well as the quality of construction, parking, landscaping, and the architectural character of the project; and
• 495 Commerce Center is strategically located on 495 (Pecan) between McColl and Jackson, a prominent thoroughfare that offers high visibility and easy access to major transportation arteries (US Hwy 281 & Exp 83). This location provides excellent access to nearby international bridges, the Hidalgo County Courthouse, the medical districts, the main post office, UPS & FedEx hubs, and the McAllen international airport.
www.495commercecenter.com/master_plan.htmlThe Texas A&M University System and South Texas College, both public institutions of higher education, also have a significant presence in McAllen.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas A&M University leaders, including A&M System Chancellor John Sharp, on Thursday, October 28, 2018, dedicated the $40 million Texas A&M McAllen Higher Education Center at McAllen, which is located at 6200 Tres Lagos Blvd.
The City of McAllen provided a 100-acre tract as a ground lease to the A&M System, and the City of McAllen and Hidalgo County facilitated local financing of $10 million toward the $40 million construction cost as well as $24 million in infrastructure (streets, utilities, and drainage) that will benefit the higher education center.
The Texas A&M School of Public Health offers several degree plans at the new McAllen Higher Learning Center. Located in the 20th most populated city in Texas, the center was opened in the fall of 2018 to continue the university’s commitment to supporting the educational needs of Texas with top-tier educational programs that will fulfill individual student career goals, enhance the continued economic development of the region and help provide the necessary skilled workforce.
Founded in 1993, South Texas College – which has three major campuses in McAllen – offers more than 127 degree & certificate options, including associate degrees in a variety of liberal art, social science, business, math, science, technology, advanced manufacturing, and allied health fields of study. Additionally, South Texas College is the only community college in the State of Texas to offer five baccalaureate degrees. South Texas College has a faculty and staff of more than 2,200 to serve the college’s five campuses, two higher education centers, and one virtual campus.
catalog.southtexascollege.edu/campuses/TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE SIGN AGREEMENT TO FURTHER ONLINE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Texas Tech University‘s eLearning & Academic Partnerships recently signed a memorandum of understanding with South Texas College (STC) to help STC students transfer more seamlessly to Texas Tech and receive an online bachelor’s degree after earning their associate degree.
The announcement was made on Saturday, July 24, 2021.
The memorandum allows Texas Tech and STC to work together to promote transfer and completion at both institutions. If any STC student completes their associate degree (60 hours) and has at least a 3.5 GPA, they can apply for a Proven Achievers Scholarship from Texas Tech.
“Texas Tech is excited to partner with South Texas College to offer new opportunities for students in the Rio Grande Valley to complete their degrees online,” said Justin Louder, Associate Vice Provost of eLearning & Academic Partnerships and Interim Superintendent of TTU K-12.
“The more than 90 high-quality online degrees offered by Texas Tech can be completed from anywhere and are taught by the same faculty who teach on the main campus in Lubbock,” Louder said. “Once a South Texas College student completes their associate degree, they can apply for the Proven Achievers Scholarship, which provides up to $4,000 in financial aid a year.”
Additionally, if an STC student transfers to Texas Tech before they complete their associate degree with STC, they can still receive their associate degree after completing their remaining requirements at Texas Tech via reverse transfer.
“Texas Tech is glad to partner with South Texas College,” said Melanie Hart, Vice Provost of eLearning & Academic Partnerships and a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management. “This agreement allows South Texas College students to transfer easily to Texas Tech. Because we have a number of high-quality online degree programs, students do not have to leave their homes and move to Lubbock to complete a bachelor’s degree with Texas Tech.”
Further, the memorandum permits Texas Tech to create articulation agreements or program-to-program agreements. This is where the two institutions can maximize courses taken at STC to transfer to a specific Texas Tech program to create a truly seamless transfer opportunity for students.
“We at South Texas College are overjoyed to be partnering with a world-class institution like Texas Tech University,” said Kelli Anne Davis, Director of the University Relations, Transfer & Articulation Center at STC. “We believe students from the Rio Grande Valley deserve to be provided with as many pathways to bachelor-degree completion as possible. The programs at Texas Tech are second-to-none, and we have seen our students expressing more interest to move out of the valley to attain their educational goals. This agreement provides more access to high-quality educational opportunities for our students.”
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Amanda Bowman contributed to this article. For more on this and other Texas legislative news stories that affect the Rio Grande Valley metropolitan region, please log on to Titans of the Texas Legislature (TitansoftheTexasLegislature.com).
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