Texas State University reaches record enrollment levels
Texas State University reached a record enrollment this fall, with 29,125 students attending the school.
This number is up 4 percent from last year.
This year’s freshman class is also the most diverse, with 33 percent of the students from minority groups and a quarter of the class being Hispanic, according to a Texas State enrollment chart.
Enrollment at the university has been on the rise since 1999 and has been steadily increasing for the past several years, said Mark Hendricks, director of Texas State news services.
“I am very pleased that so many students have chosen Texas State as their academic home,” said Texas State President Denise Trauth in a release. “In the coming year, we will continue to work closely with our students, faculty and staff to address the challenges of a growing enrollment and to ensure that the academic experience of our students is not only preserved but enhanced.”
Increases in enrollment at Texas State have been attributed to Closing the Gaps — a state initiative that calls for colleges and universities to increase the number of graduates — and the internal restructuring of the university’s admission process.
Hendricks said Texas State has raised its admission standards over the years, added scholarships, offered new undergraduate and graduate degree programs and improved student services.
“These are initiatives that make us attractive to more students and to students better equipped to handle the challenges of higher education,” he said.
The addition of the Round Rock campus also gives students in the North Austin and Williamson County areas convenient access to Texas State degree programs.
— Toree Roy
UTB/TSC to build Science and Technology Learning Center
UT-Brownsville and Texas Southmost College will begin construction on a new 60,000 square-foot Science and Technology Learning Center in April.
The project will cost an estimated $33 million, funded by tuition revenue bonds authorized by the Texas Legislature.
The center will house additional classrooms and teaching laboratories, said Veronica Mendez, UTB assistant vice president for planning and construction. The architecture firm SHW Group LLP of Austin is working in collaboration with UTB to design the new building.
“It is our utmost desire to have a positive impact on the environment as we bring new buildings to our campus,” Mendez said. “We consider elements that will make this facility more energy efficient in terms of location, wind and sun orientation, shade structures and others.”
The building will provide the growing number of UTB biology students with more opportunities to get involved in the science and medical fields and provide growth for the biomedical research programs. Close to 4,000 students are involved in the program, Mendez said.
“[The] facility would allow our institution to make contributions in research, teaching and outreach in the areas of health,” Mendez said. “This facility would provide much-needed instructional space on our campus.”
— Marissa Edwards
Ransom Center lecture series to draw top scholars to UT
Humanities scholars from around the world will visit UT as part of the Harry Ransom Lectures in Humanities starting in spring 2009.
The lecture and residency program will bring leaders in creative writing, film, photography, the arts and other fields to UT for visits lasting several days, said Thomas Staley, director of the Harry Ransom Center. Their visits may include public presentations and meetings with faculty and students, according to a statement.
“We wanted to bring to campus for students and faculty some of the best minds working today,” Staley said. “We’re really looking for people who have made important contributions to our culture.”
The program is funded by a grant from the University Co-op.
Michael Granof, chairman of the Co-op’s board of directors, explained that 100 percent of the Co-op’s profit distributions go to the University.
In the past, Co-op profits have been used to support many activities and groups on campus, including scholarship funds and improvement of student lounges, Granof said.
“Our objective is to support programs and activities that enrich the quality of life on this campus that would otherwise not get funding,” Granof said.
The program is expected to bring playwright and filmmaker David Mamet, writer Azar Nafisi, artist Ed Ruscha and novelist Barry Unsworth this spring.
— Blair Watler
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