By NOAH TEW/Editor-in-Chief
Editor’s Note: This is part of Project UT Tyler 2050, a Patriot Talon initiative looking at the university’s future.
The university must find ways to increase student housing on campus, UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun said.
Getting the medical school up and running, building a new science building and creating more on-campus housing are among the goals of UT Tyler, he said while discussing university priorities and accomplishments in a briefing with mass communication students and student media representatives in March.
“We have to find a way to increase student housing on campus,” he said noting that having more campus housing will be key to growing the student population.
UT Tyler is home to more than 1,700 resident students who live in Ornelas Hall, Patriot Village, University Pines, Liberty Landing or Victory Village, according to information on the university website.
Of those housing units, only Ornelas Hall is centrally located on campus. The other units are located adjacent to the main campus.
“We (administrators) were just meeting this morning going over alternatives to build and expand student housing,” Calhoun said.
On another topic, Calhoun said the university likely will change its recommendations on wearing a mask while inside campus buildings as part of the university’s response to COVID-19. Signs currently say that people are “expected” to wear a mask while inside campus buildings.
“I think we are going to look at things for about another 30 days,” he said in early March. “And based on what the (infection rate) numbers are going in the community, if they are continuing to decline, those signs likely will come down.”
He said he receives updates on COVID and recommendations on how the university should respond.
He also noted that more tuition assistance money is being made available to students to help them pay for college here.
The UT System earlier announced the $300 million Promise Plus endowment will greatly expand tuition assistance programs at UT institutions. Promise Plus is expected to generate about $1 million for UT Tyler this year, said a university news release.
The additional funding “will help students in terms of allowing them to attend college with little to no tuition fee costs,” Calhoun said.
The university previously announced that the program will cover the entire tuition of about 200 students.
He said the university is also making plans for a new building that will house science curriculum classrooms. He said it has not been decided where the building will be located.
“We are in the midst of planning a new science building on campus that will grab up one of those few flat spots (available) on campus,” he said.
He did not provide a timetable for when construction would begin.
The president said the university is also looking for space on campus to build a “first-class” track and field facility. UT Tyler currently uses facilities at other schools.
In conclusion he said, “We have a number of priorities that are out there that we are moving on and all of them are important.”
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