University of Houston Board of Regents Retreat
University of Houston
Faculty Senate
November 1, 2005

Allen R. Warner, President
 

            Chair Hermes, Vice Chair Cemo, distinguished Regents, thank you for this opportunity to share a faculty perspective on the need for additional resources to accomplish the Board’s Strategic Plan.  President-elect Craig and I see a real sense of excitement and anticipation among the faculty for moving the University of Houston to flagship research campus status.  As one small indication, a recent motion from Dr. Craig’s Task Force on Research Excellence calling for an annual campus-wide report on research and scholarly productivity was adopted by the Senate without dissent. 

            We applaud SP 1.1, Increase the number of faculty on campus to enhance academic and research excellence and accommodate enrollment growth.  Tenured and tenure track faculty are the most important resources of a university.  Faculty conduct research, prepare graduate and professional students to conduct and use research, educate undergraduates, and constitute an important reserve of specialized knowledge that is regularly sought by the business community and by policymakers. 

Both of the current flagship universities in Texas are engaged in significant campaigns to enhance their research status through faculty growth.  The Texas Council of Faculty Senates, representing all public institutions in the state, met less than two weeks ago in Austin.  Following are quotes from written reports of the two institutions we believe you wish us to emulate:

“The University (of Texas at Austin) implemented a 10-year faculty expansion plan in 2000-2001 designed to add 300 new faculty positions.  Approximately 151 positions have been filled to date, nearly all on the tenure track.”

            UT-Austin representatives report a target enrollment of 48,000 students for that campus, fewer than the 50,377 enrolled in Fall 2004.

“We (Texas A&M University at College Station) have now hired approximately 250 new faculty (beyond replacements for retiring and departing faculty).  The final goal of the faculty reinvestment program is to hire 450 new faculty by the fall of 2007.  We are well on the way to achieving this goal.”

            Fall enrollments at Texas A&M (College Station) are relatively stable for the last three years, ranging from 44,435 to 44,910. 

            Data on reputational studies of doctoral programs from the National Research Council (NRC) indicate a strong relationship between faculty size and the prestige value of degrees.  While there is variation by program, those doctoral programs ranked in the top quartile generally have faculty sizes 30 percent greater than those in the second quartile; the second quartile, 20 percent greater than the third; and the third, still substantially larger than those ranked in the fourth quartile.

            This direct relationship between faculty size and research ranking is already the topic of action by Texas’s existing research flagship universities.  We urge the Board to develop financing plans that will continue to support our faculty to enhance the research ranking of the University of Houston.

            On behalf of the University of Houston Faculty Senate, thank you again for your dedication and commitment, and for this opportunity to share these thoughts with you on the challenges we face together.