> Contact:
> Sheila Hansel, South Texas College of Law
> 713/646-1799; 713/788-7854 pager
>
> Affiliation deal creates the Texas A&M University Law Center
>
> January 23, 1998- In an unprecedented move in higher education,
> Texas A&M University and South Texas College of Law have signed an
> affiliation agreement. The affiliation represents a first for both
> institutions. It gives Texas A&M, the oldest public higher education
> institution in Texas, direct name relationship with a law school. South
> Texas College of Law, in turn, attains affiliation with a major
> university and the recognition that secures.
> Chairman of the Texas A&M System Board of Regents, Don Powell,
> applauds the agreement. "This links the seventh largest public university
> in the nation with one of the 15 largest law schools, a union of immense
> potential benefit both to the schools involved and to the people of
> Texas."
> South Texas Board Chairman, and alumnus, Harry Hutchens, says
> this affiliation will enhance employment opportunities for all alumni.
> "We believe this will put long standing concerns about name recognition
> to rest forever."
> The terms of the agreement maintain South Texas' independent,
> private, non-profit status. The law school will not become part of the
> Texas A&M system. No state tax dollars will be used by South Texas, other
> than the tuition equalization grant money already being utilized, and
> tuition remains the same.
> South Texas President and Dean, Frank T. Read, says this is a
> win-win situation for Texas. "This is the single finest example of
> public/private partnership I have seen in higher education in America."
> Texas A&M University President, Dr. Ray M. Bowen, notes that an
> affiliation with a respected law school will contribute significantly to
> Texas A&M's goal of establishing itself among the nation's top 10 public
> universities by the year 2020. "Even if we were authorized by the state
> to do so, creating a new law school for ourselves would cost,
> conservatively, $150-million," says Bowen. "With the affiliation we
> create today, we overcome that challenge in a constructive, widely
> beneficial manner."
> "We are especially proud to have this high-visibility presence in
> Houston, the home of so many of our former students and the area which
> provides more students annually than any other part of Texas," says
> Bowen. "We welcome the chance to join South Texas as a good corporate
> citizen of the Houston community." Both Bowen and Dean Read vow to work
> closely with other law schools in Houston for the betterment of legal
> education.
> Texas A&M will appoint one-third of the South Texas Board of
> Directors. The day-to-day operations and hiring authority of South Texas
> remains independent. Input from the Texas A&M provost is required when
> hiring faculty and future deans.
> The South Texas College of Law student body consists of 1,200
> students, 15 percent of whom are Texas A&M alumni. The law school is 74
> years old, debt-free, and currently occupies two full city blocks in
> downtown Houston.
> Texas A&M University, located on a 5,200-acre campus at College
> Station 90 miles northeast of Houston, has 41,000 students on its main
> campus pursuing degrees in more than 150 fields of study, including
> pre-law.
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