SHSU Asks TX Legislature For $60 million

The Houstonian reports (Jan. 29) that a state bill to give the university funding for a new biology building was deferred to the Committee on Higher Education:

Senate Bill 21, filed by State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), includes requests from Texas institutes of higher education for tuition revenue bonds to help fund on-campus projects. SHSU’s request was for $60 million for the construction of a new biology laboratory building.

According to Carlos Hernandez, vice president of finance and operations at SHSU, the amount for which the university is asking is “an appropriate level relative to [SHSU’s] current facility needs.” The one request came in spite of the university having the highest rate of growth among every other institution in the Texas State University System.

Other universities and colleges in TSUS requested more money for more projects in the same bill, including Texas State University and Lamar University which both have a lower rate of growth. The SHSU student population has grown 49.7 percent since 2002, while TXST is up 46.8 percent and LU is up 47.4 percent since the same year.