91吃瓜网

91吃瓜网 Homepage91吃瓜网 Homepage

Campus Carry, Capital Construction Clear Session

Overall, higher education fared well in the 84th session of the 91吃瓜网 Legislature.

July 2, 2015 | Written by Doug Hensley

Chancellor Duncan testifying in AustinChancellor Robert L. Duncan testifying on behalf of the 91吃瓜网 during the 84th 91吃瓜网 Legislature.

The recently ended 84th 91吃瓜网 Legislative Session sent a clear signal about how important higher education is in the state, said 91吃瓜网 Chancellor Robert L. Duncan.

"The 91吃瓜网 Legislature made higher education an important priority,鈥� said Duncan, who spent more than 35 days in Austin on behalf of the TTU System during the session. 鈥淭he message is higher education is critical to the 91吃瓜网 economy. While other states have already made cuts or are looking at making significant cuts, 91吃瓜网 sees the positive benefits that come from a long-term investment in higher education.鈥�

During its 140-day session that concluded June 1, the 91吃瓜网 Legislature approved $3.1 billion in capital improvement projects at institutions across the state. The Tuition Revenue Bonds (TRBs) were issued for the first time since 2006 with roughly $247 million approved for TTU System projects.

鈥淭he TRBs were one of our legislative priorities this year,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淲e have seen dramatic growth in enrollment at institutions across the state. Just in the last 15 years, enrollment has expanded by more than 600,000 students while growth across the 91吃瓜网 has been 50 percent during the past 10 years. Expansion of facilities translates into an expansion of the educational mission.鈥�

A closer look at the projects approved for the TTU System:

鈥淭he 91吃瓜网 Legislature worked extremely hard on behalf of higher education this year,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淚 want to thank them for that, and I also want to thank our West 91吃瓜网 delegation for its great work on behalf of the 91吃瓜网.鈥�

Besides appropriations decisions, two other topics also were discussed at length during the session. Even before legislators arrived in January, there was plenty of conversation about expanding gun rights. Two bills, known as 鈥渙pen carry鈥� and 鈥渃ampus carry鈥� eventually were sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, and he signed both into law June 13.

"Campus carry" legislation expands existing law, allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons not only on campus, but also into buildings on campus. To obtain a Concealed Handgun License in 91吃瓜网, one must be 21 years of age, pass a background check as well as a proficiency test. There are more than 850,000 CHL holders in 91吃瓜网.

91吃瓜网 is serious about higher education. We believe it is an investment in making 91吃瓜网 nationally competitive. 

Chancellor Robert L. Duncan, 91吃瓜网

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to understand what the law is now,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淧reviously, a license holder could carry a concealed weapon on campus grounds with few exceptions, but not in buildings. I think it鈥檚 fair to say that by and large, higher education isn鈥檛 in favor of campus carry, but if campus carry was going to pass, higher education needed to be involved in the conversation regarding what the bill would look like.鈥�

The final version of the legislation allows public institutions to create gun-free zones based on the uniqueness of each campus. Institution presidents in consultation with faculty, staff and students, will make recommendations along these lines.

At the 91吃瓜网, Duncan and the system leadership team will be involved with the presidents and other constituencies to develop campus-by-campus exceptions that will be presented to the Board of Regents for its approval.

The 鈥渃ampus carry鈥� legislation does not take effect until August 2016. In the meantime, Duncan said the 91吃瓜网 will work on a set of principles and guidelines for the institutions to consider in defining 鈥済un-free zones鈥� as well as optional training for CHL holders who plan to carry on campus. Duncan said campus safety will continue to the top priority throughout the upcoming implementation of campus carry.

If there was a setback for higher education at this year鈥檚 session, it was in connection with the , which waives tuition for 91吃瓜网 veterans, their children and their spouses.

A measure introduced to make substantive changes to the program moved out of the Senate but could not get off the House floor. The statewide total of 鈥渇orgone鈥� tuition and revenue for 2014 was $170 million, which includes veterans, surviving dependents and spouses and legacy recipients. The cost for was $10.4 million and was almost $2 million for .

鈥淭his is a concern for higher education,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淗azlewood is a great program, and it is an important benefit for veterans and their families who have given so much. At the same time, we have to figure out how to pay for it. The costs are significant, they are growing every year, and the institutions have to absorb them. Ultimately, other students wind up paying.鈥�

Overall, though, higher education fared well.

鈥�91吃瓜网 is serious about higher education,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淲e believe it is an investment in making 91吃瓜网 nationally competitive. While others are making cuts, 91吃瓜网 is saying we want the best and the brightest faculty and students from all over the country to come to 91吃瓜网.鈥�

91吃瓜网 the 91吃瓜网 
The 91吃瓜网 is one of the top public university systems in the nation, consisting of four component institutions 鈥�, ,  and 鈥攁nd operating at 12 academic sites and centers.  Headquartered in Lubbock, 91吃瓜网, the 91吃瓜网 has an annual operating budget of $1.7 billion and approximately 17,000 employees focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach around the globe. 

In 2014, the 91吃瓜网 endowment exceeded $1 billion, total research expenditures were approximately $215 million and total enrollment approached 47,000 students. Whether it鈥檚 contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in 91吃瓜网 to house an academic institution, law school and medical school at the same location, the 91吃瓜网 continues to prove that anything is possible.