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With a little less than a month to do its job, the panel painstakingly spent time to thoroughly make its decision: Move forward with plans to make UHV a four-year university.
This comes as outstanding news to Victoria, the Crossroads Region and the University of Houston System.
Community leaders spent much time garnering support for the expansion of the upper-level university. The commission and, indeed, the UH System, took note of the tremendous support displayed through surveys, in various meetings and a public hearing. The community and its leaders should be commended for the time and effort spent .
Victoria businesswoman Janey Lack announced pledges of almost $200,000 toward scholarships (all made in a week’s time), and Chamber of Commerce President Randy Vivian added that more pledges of money had been made for scholarships if the expansion was made a reality. In all, $250,000 has been pledged for just the first year of the expansion.
The scholarships were another piece of the puzzle that needed to be in place.
“I have to admit, I was a Doubting Thomas when I came to town,” said Welcome Wilson, co-chairman of the commission and chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents. But after a couple of weeks we have “gotten past many issues.”
Wilson noted that the community’s effort was a big factor. He said it demonstrated “enthusiasm I haven’t seen in recent times. … I’m happy to recommend this to the University System Board of Regents.”
With that, the commission unanimously voted in favor of expansion for UHV.
Now, state Rep. Geannie Morrison, who has made it clear that she will do all she can for the expansion as chairman of the House Committee On Higher Education, will take the legislation to the 2009 Legislature. If all goes well, UHV will begin freshmen and sophomore classes in 2010.
Of course, all the benefits of a four-year university will begin falling into place after that.
Again, all who were instrumental in getting the expansion to this point should be applauded. Most of all, the community should be commended for setting forward this expansion and boon to Victoria. And with its continued help, the expansion will be reality.