November 15, 2007

Joseph A. Kotarba, Ph.D.
Faculty Senate President

Regents’ Chair Wilson and the Regents of the University of Houston.  I am again honored to have the opportunity to formally present to you some of the ideas and concerns of the faculty.  On October 26th, the faculty senate held its fall retreat at the UH Hilton Hotel.  The purpose of the retreats in general is to gather informally to thoughtfully discuss issues we do not ordinarily get a chance to address at our busy monthly meetings.  Ever since I joined the faculty senate several years ago, I have heard about the importance of interacting with influential legislators to learn about the mechanics of higher education legislation and to impress upon them the importance of supporting the University of Houston when they are up in Austin.  Since the legislature is not currently in session, I decided now would be a good time to invite several legislators to campus to discuss “The Texas Legislature and Higher Education.”  We also invited Regents Chair Welcome Wilson to say a few words of greeting to our guests.  He not only made them feel at home, but he also joined in our conversation and contributed his insights on the topic, which we greatly appreciate.  We spent a wonderful morning with Dan Patrick, Texas State Senator, District 7; Garnet Coleman, Texas State Representative, District 147; and Scott Hochberg, Texas State Representative, District 137.  These gentlemen felt honored to be invited to our campus, and they were impressed that the faculty senate took the lead in initiating a fruitful relationship with them that we all hope will last a long, long time. 

            The legislators were quite frank and constructive.  Overall, their constituencies view UH quite favorably.  These constituencies may not necessarily see us as a major, urban research university—as we would like them to--but they do see us the source of an affordable and very worthwhile education.  All three legislators want UH to be a strong university, and they have worked hard to obtain good funding for us.  They suggest to us that, in order to improve our standing with the legislature and to receive the resources needed to grow, we must accomplish the following tasks (among others):

• “Get on the same page”  We heard this advice several times that morning.  UH faculty, staff, administration, Regents, students, alumni, and local constituents need to send unified, efficient, and impressive messages to legislators, who are inundated with communications from all directions.       
• “Tell our story”  Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to figure out who we want to be that we forget all the good things we already are.  There are numerous strengths in being a predominantly commuting school that their constituents know and admire (e.g., students can attend classes while living at home, thus saving on expenses).
• “Prioritize”  If we truly want major projects such as a medical school or a health science center, we should set them as legislative priorities and be prepared to sacrifice other requests to get them.
• “Communicate”  We should regularly and ardently interact with legislators across the state, not just our local senators and representatives.  We should invite legislators to our athletic and cultural events, lectures, exhibits, and performances.
• “Motivate Alumni”  Our guests told us repeatedly that UT and Texas A&M are so successful with the legislature largely because their extensive and motivated network of alumni lead the charge in Austin, not just as legislators, but also as lobbyists and concerned citizens.

            The legislators met with us for almost two hours, then left to resume their busy schedules.  After lunch, Grover Campbell, VC/VP for Governmental Relations and Richard Murray, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Public Policy, talked about ways to start turning all the good information we had just heard into effective strategies.  Clearly, the challenge for UH is to become a top priority for the legislature.  To accomplish this, we need to develop personal relationships with influential legislators to tell them our story-—not just send email messages to them!  We also need to assemble our local support and convert our needs into urgent priorities for them.  We do need, however, to constantly monitor the ever-changing local political scene to make sure we understand who our constituents are and what their needs in higher education may be.

            The faculty senate at UH, in consultation with Dr. Rudley and Dr. Foss, is already planning for a follow-up activity to grow our good relationship with the legislators.  I have also forwarded this report to my good colleagues at the other universities in the System, and I have already asked that this topic be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the University of Houston Faculty Senate Executive Committee (UFEC), so that we can work together to enhance legislative opportunities of the entire University of Houston System.