Medical School Hoping Governor Allows Funding Talks
For six years, the Paul L. Foster school of medicine, working with the El Paso delegation of state lawmakers, has tried to get money to build a third building on the campus. This legislative session seemed the most promising but it came and went with no money for Texas Tech in El Paso.
The Texas Tech medical school has had it’s victories – they’re officially a stand- alone university now and they’ll be breaking ground on a school of nursing in a few months but they a third building has alluded lawmakers and the schools administration.
The texas house and senate couldn’t come to a compromise on how tuition revenue bonds should be split between the dozens of universities across the state who requested the money.
“The special session gives the legislature an opportunity to work that out,” said Dr. Manuel De La Rosa, the Medical School’s Dean.
De La Rosa said Representative Dan Branch, from Dallas, has crafted a bill so that lawmakers can try to figure this out again but that depends on convincing one person. “The only person who can put a topic for discussion on the special session is the governor’s office,” said De La Rosa.
“In the ebb and flow of politics, there are all sorts of in front of the scenes discussions and behind the scenes discussions. We think there is sufficient support across the state and sufficient pressure on the governor from higher education institutions to make it a topic of discussion.”
De La Rosa said the school is willing to change the proposed building if they get less funding than the $90 million requested.
