By Brian Argabright
Changes could come to one of the places of higher education in Del Rio, but it may not be for a while.
State Senator Roland Gutierrez filed a bill Feb. 1 that would transfer Sul Ross State University and its satellite campuses, including Rio Grande College in Del Rio, from under the Texas State University System to the Texas A&M University System.
Gutierrez pulled no punches in his assessment of Sul Ross’ status. He cited a long period of declining enrollment at the school and its campuses as the primary reason for wanting to move it under the A&M banner. “The negative direction of Sul Ross State University is a regional problem affecting more than a dozen West Texas counties,” Gutierrez said in a release regarding the bill.
Colin Strother, Gutierrez’s communications director, explained that there is still a lengthy process before anything becomes official. Included in that process would be hearing from the communities where Sul Ross campuses are located.
“Nothing is going to happen without the communities’ input,” Strother said. “We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to speak.”
Sul Ross State University President Pete P. Gallego, who served as a U.S. Congressman and state representative for this area, said he wasn’t aware of anyone on the school’s administration, on the faculty or among the student body who was aware the bill was going to be filed nor were they given the opportunity to comment on it. However, he said the change would simply be a name change, but would come at a greater expense to the school.
“The signage, letterheads, branding – would all need to be changed. It would also change our assessment, which we would pay to the university system. The Texas State System has the lowest overhead among all the systems in Texas, so moving under Texas A&M would cost us money,” Gallego said. “Every component pays a fee. If you’re at UTPB or UTEP, you pay a fee to the UT system in Austin. That fee is how employees are paid. Because the A&M office is significantly bigger than the Texas State System, we would pay a significantly bigger fee than the Texas State System.”
“We are a creature of statute. We will do whatever the legislature asks. As we review the details, it would be no change in our revenue stream. Every university is funded by a formula and driven by semester credit hours, how many you’re offering and teaching, and how many hours you’re teaching is correlated to the number of students you have. The more you teach, the more funding you get. We would just be in a different system. If the bill passes, we will comply and would implement it,” Gallego added.
Strother said the move would make Sul Ross more successful. He said the Rio Grande College campuses were doing a great job but putting the school under the Texas A&M system would lead to better brand awareness and add prestige to the diplomas earned by students at those schools.
“There will also be a lot more resources available to those students and lots more opportunities to transfer to the main campus. Being part of the larger A&M family gives students the chance to be a part of bigger, more world-renowned system. Those schools would also be better positioned for an investment in new infrastructure and programs,” Strother said.
The filing of the bill is just the first step in the process. It will need to be referred to a committee, and the committee will hold a hearing and determine whether or not it will be sent to the floor for a vote. The Texas Legislature’s session ends May 31.
