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Gov. Rick Perry had fighting words for top ranked U.S. schools after he signed House Bill 51, legislation intended to foster new national research universities in Texas, June 16 at UTD.
"The University of California and The University of Michigan are shaking in their boots. They know what's about to happen - Their top researchers are about to come to Texas," Perry said.
Although the legislation is often called the "Tier One bill," UTD and the six other "emerging" schools most likely to tap funds made available by the bill must meet research, endowment and achievement benchmarks and likely face years of work to raise their rankings.
In comments at the signing, state legislators termed the bill a "pathway" and a "toolbox" for accelerating research program growth at schools that are able to build an endowment of $400 million or more, graduate 200 doctorate of philosophy degrees each year, are recognized for research and facility quality and attract top freshmen and faculty.
Before universities can start down that path, Texas voters must first approve an amendment to the state Constitution in November to create the $425 million National Research University Fund (NRUF), which will be the main source of money accessible to the seven "emerging" institutions.
The NRUF would consist of reallocated money from the currently unused Permanent Higher Education Fund.
Tier One status is not based on a single ranking or accreditation. The term describes schools among the nation's top spenders on research, lead the pack when major publications assess higher education and tend to belong to the 60-school Association of American Universities, according to a document prepared by UTD President David Daniel about a year ago as administrators geared up for lobbying during the 81st session of the Texas Legislature.
The fund was created in 1986 to support universities other than UT Austin and Texas A&M University, which are two of only three Tier One schools in the state. Rice University in Houston is the third.
The seven universities will also have access to $126 million in matching grants based on research funding and $50 million in matching grants for endowments, gifts and scholarships.
In his comments, Perry noted the significance of the signing ceremony venue. Regents of Texas public schools, UTD administration, state politicians and press packed the atrium outside materials science and engineering department head Yves Chabal's laboratory for Surface and Nanostructure Modification in the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL).
Perry said attracting innovative researchers like Chabal, Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Nanoelectronics, was the way to elevate university rankings and, in turn, attract the economic growth that accompanies world-class science and technology research.
News coverage, editorials and the legislative consideration of Bill 51, authored by Dan Branch, brought the Texas Tier One disparity to the fore in the last two years, but concerns about building more schools that could keep talented students in Texas and draw researchers from other institutions is older than UTD itself.
Erik Jonsson and Cecil Green, both among TI's founders, spoke about the relationship between science education, economic growth and retaining top talent in the area throughout their relationships with the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, later called UT Dallas after the center was donated to the UT System.
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