How true. They are the ones I could think of and I'm sure there are many more substantial and well-respected institutions. It's a shame they are not as widely known as some of the others. Can you name all ten Tier One universities from California? I suspect most of the ones we can name are famous for athletics, except maybe Cal Tech.

By the way, US News says UTA is a "Tier Four" school.

This wasn't directed at me, but let me take the California Test, without looking. Seriously, I may not get them all. Allow me to omit the UC in front of each.

Berkeley
Los Angeles
San Diego
Davis
Irvine
Santa Cruz
Riverside
Santa Barbara
San Francisco
Merced

Got 'em in about however long it took me to type that.
Merced is the brand new one. Has less than 3,000 students at present, but has a pretty physical plant to start out with.

Berkeley, Los Angeles, Davis, and San Diego are the big ones. They are all prestigious and "on the map." 6 or 7 are even AAU. Great universities. (But, they are taking some serious financial hits right now, along with the rest of California.)

BTW, nice column by Spaniolo - on this subject - in the UT Arlington Magazine which arrived at my house today. (It'll be available online soon, if it isn't already.)

I don't understand your point. Are you saying that prestigious U's with a selective or extensive program are failures because the average person in Texas can't name them?

Bob Ray Sanders column from last WEd. Star - T...I had to email him to let him know that UTA will be the next Tier 1 Universtiy between the two...he definitely let's his bias bleed into the article, i.e. 36,000 students, etc. While UNT spends $80M for a new football stadium, untold resources on a law school and S Dallas campus, UTA spends $120M + for a research building.

UNT regents make a drastic mistake in letting Bataille leave

Perhaps if the year were 1890 and the University of North Texas was still housed in leased quarters above a hardware store in Denton's town square, I would understand what just happened at my alma mater, the region's largest and arguably most prestigious public institution of higher learning.

Back then, the school was known as Texas Normal College and Teacher's Training Institute. It's had six other names since then.

But even if this were 120 years ago, there would be nothing "normal" about the closed-door, perhaps closed-minded and now-closed-mouthed maneuverings that forced (my word) the resignation of the school's dynamic and revered president, Gretchen M. Bataille.

I have no documented inside information, nor have I attempted to investigate independently the circumstances. I drew from the reporting skills of my colleague, Gene Trainor, and my longtime knowledge of a university I deeply care about.

Over the past 12 decades, the University of North Texas has grown from cramped facilities into the state's fourth-largest college on a campus spanning almost 900 acres and serving more than 36,000 students.

It has distinguished itself academically and socially, creating exemplary programs in various disciplines (including education, music and business, along with a medical school). It was among the first colleges in Texas and the South to integrate its classrooms and athletics.

This was the university that would nurture and prepare a young black journalism student for a long career in the newspaper, radio and television industries.

No doubt, the institution for years -- and to this day, to some degree -- languished in the shadow of the state's more well-known public universities. Each new president for the last 50 years came with a determination to change that "inferior" mindset and establish UNT as a competitive force in the region, the state and, with Bataille, the country.

Bataille became UNT's 14th president in 2006 after serving as senior vice president for academic affairs in the University of North Carolina system, which has 16 campuses and 200,000 students.

She was on a roll during her brief tenure, capturing national attention for the school, greatly increasing research dollars, creating a new scholarship program for disadvantaged students, re-engaging a sometimes quiescent alumni and embarking on a major construction program that includes a $78 million, 30,000-seat football stadium.

Most importantly, she connected with a faculty and student body that bought into her grand yet achievable vision for the school.

When I last spoke on campus in the fall, Bataille also spoke to the students that evening.

I was told by an administrator that Bataille's day began at 5 a.m. and that she had another engagement after the nighttime program. That was typical, I was told.

So why did she step down effective this past Monday?

Chancellor Lee Jackson and the board members are not talking. Bataille simply says "it's in the best interest of the university."

I suppose she has a point if she means avoiding a public fight between the chancellor and the president that could harm the institution. But in the long run, is that best for a university that is competing with several others in Texas to become a Tier One school?

Jackson, a former Dallas County commissioner, was picked for the chancellor's job in 2002 partly for his political contacts in Dallas and the hope that he could tap into new money sources there.

Since then, a major expansion of UNT facilities has occurred in Dallas, with the creation of a campus in south Dallas and the new UNT Law School to be located downtown. Jackson also persuaded the board to move the UNT System headquarters to Big D.

All those resources going south surely took something away from the Denton campus and its programs.

As I understand it, that was part of the issue between the president and chancellor, along with a squabble over the amount of a tuition increase.

Neither of those issues should have resulted in the president's departure.

Once Jackson forced (my word) the regents to make a choice between him and Bataille, they chose Jackson. It's a decision that will set the institution back years.

At the very least Jackson and the board owe us -- administrators, faculty, students, alumni, donors -- the truth of what happened.

It may be too late, but the regents ought to figure out a way of admitting a major error and correcting that mistake.

Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays and Wednesdays.

817-390-7775

Good job, 80s.

Just out of curiousity, let us know if Bob Ray responds. Since he went there, he let his warm and fuzzy feelings from journalism school come-out. I take it as that.

Besides what you correctly called him out on, from what I have seen, I agree with the premise of his article. UNT, or the UNT "System" is shooting itself and UNT Denton in the foot...or worse.

Being in the "system" has not helped Denton, but has hurt...with the resources and time being drained off on the south Dallas waste project. This is EXACTLY the time where they should be putting everything they have into the Denton campus....instead, they create turmoil and uncertainty and negative publicity. This is the sort of thing that drives away impressive faculty and presidential candidates.

It is ironic that being in the UT system is beneficial for us, but being in the UNT system has been harmful to them.

I agree with Sanders. It was a mistake to keep Jackson. He is too political and not educationally focused.

At least Sanders did not hold us in suspense about whether or not to give any of his words credibility. It's a stretch to say UNT is in the top four of the region's public institutions of higher learning. They still significantly lag behind Texas Women's U for prestige in Denton. But that's their "normal" position.

Here is a good read on the UNT situation.

The editorial is good, but Checkfacts, in his comment below it, is very good. He summarizes nicely what the "system" has done to UNT Denton with its focus on Dallas and a ridiculous new university. It has been a marriage of convenience. Dallas, and esp. South Dallas with its ability to play the race card, wants the economic development (the state and tax payers sure didn't need another university), and the UNT "System" needs to justify itself and save itself from eventual abolishment by adding units. But, the addition of units in Dallas has hurt Denton. I don't blame the Denton people from indignation as they watch, for instance, a new law school being attached to UNT Dallas, for Pete's sake...that's insanity, and also hurts the credibility of the law school. Anway, I'll quit jabbering and let you read.

http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=7322

I responded with

Check Facts says “None of this stopped UNT from purchasing a residential building right next door AGAINST THE ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE THECB and as of the last report on this residential building even with opening it up to non-students it still has not met occupancy projections. Ask yourself if the UNT “System” is having to subsidize the cost of a residential building in downtown dallas that is not meeting occupancy where do those dollars come from.”

I was reading this and a lot of what you says makes sense, but this is completely false. This building is and was at 95% occupancy before and after UNT bought it. Why they bought it is wierd, but as a resident of this building, and completely unaffiliated with UNT in any way whatsoever, I can tell you it is the same as it was before UNT bought it, full of residents.

I am puzzled by the statement of even opening it up to non-students. It has always been open to nin-students. I lived here under the prio owners and still live here. As near as I can tell, there have never been any non-students here and it is done just like ever other residential building in downtown, just with UNT as the owner.