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University of Houston - Victoria

University of Houston-Victoria

Downward Expansion History.

  • UHV was created (1973) at a time when many upper division universities were established to offer junior, senior and graduate level programs; UHV provided access to students from the Coastal Bend region of Texas who might otherwise not have been able to complete a degree.
  • Over time it became clear that upper level status does not allow a university to reach its full potential in terms of enrollment and quality of learning experience.
  • The upper-division model was uniformly abandoned through the process of "downward expansion."
  • 2000 students graduate annually from high schools locally in The Victoria College (VC) service area, with about 50% tracked into college the following fall. VC enrolls about 400 of these "college-goers," who are potential transfer students to UHV and other universities.
  • Even extraordinary success in elevating local college going rates would net a very small number of students – optimistically, 200 at VC and 100 at UHV at the end of five years.
  • However, approximately 90,000 high school students graduate annually in the San Antonio, Austin and Houston Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 40,000 of whom are not attending college.
  • An independent market study indicated that UHV would be attractive to a significant number of parents of high school juniors and seniors in these urban areas. (This correlates with national surveys which indicate that the majority of first year students desire to attend college more than 100 but less than 200 miles from home.)
  • As a four year destination university UHV can successfully recruit from these rapidly growing urban areas, bringing in freshmen, some of whom would take coursework at VC; hundreds of new jobs could be created and millions of dollars invested in Victoria.
  • All major internal and external stakeholder groups supported downward expansion, including the UHV Faculty Senate, Student Government Association and Staff Council; The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce; the Victoria Economic Development Corporation; the Victoria County Commissioners; the Victoria City Council; The Victoria College Board of Directors and the UH System Board of Regents (BOR).
  • The UH System BOR Chairman and The VC Board Chairman created the Commission on Expanding Access to Higher Education in fall 2008, to explore ways in which Victoria education institutions could enhance student access and success in higher education, in accordance with the goals identified in the state's plan for higher education, "Closing the Gaps." The 17-member commission, included the UHV and VC presidents, the Victoria ISD superintendent and community leaders, and recommended unanimously the downward expansion of UHV. This recommendation was approved by the UH System BOR on October 10, 2008.
  • Subsequently, UHV and VC created an Affiliation and Partnership Agreement approved by the governing boards of both institutions, that facilitates the downward expansion of UHV without adversely affecting VC, and promotes ongoing partnerships between the two institutions to maximize educational opportunity for all students.
  • UHV plans to utilize existing facilities and faculty and available internal resources to achieve downward expansion; no additional funds were requested for beginning implementation.
  • Downward Expansion requires a modification of legislation that created the university. HB1056, authored by Representative Geanie Morrison and sponsored by Senator Glenn Hegar, which allows admission of underclassmen to UHV, passed into law on June 19, 2009. This change will enable UHV to reach its full capacity as a driver of social and economic progress for its region, stimulate growth at The Victoria College, better serve students, and help Texas fulfill the promise of access to higher education for all citizens.
  • UHV's first freshman and sophomores will be admitted in Fall 2010.