LETTER I WROTE FIVE YEARS AGO TRYING TO GET TEXAS A&M TO COME TO KATY:
Sometimes I'm disappointed with the failure of our local leaders to plan adequately for the future with regard to the economic welfare of our area.
The first time that happened was when I discovered that the Mayor of the City of Katy gave away the ETJ of all the land between Houston and Katy in exchange for land on the other side of Katy for an airport. The airport never made it, and now all of us who live in the former ETJ of Katy have a future with the City of Houston instead.
A few years ago, I learned of Senator Glenn Hegar's interest in focusing an effort to establish one large higher education facility in Katy. Nothing appears to have happened with that idea, and Lone Star College has snapped up most of our high school graduates who were looking for a community college.
The day after I visited with Senator Hegar five years ago, I wrote a letter to the President of Texas A&M concerning the prospect of bringing a full branch of Texas A&M to Katy. I copied Senator Hegar, but I never heard back from either the Senator or the President of Texas A&M. (Gone are the days when State Representative Culberson was my Representative and would have made certain that a state employee responded to my letter!)
Here is my letter. See if you don't think my idea was a good one that deserved some attention.
Now, all of Katy's high school graduates can go not only to the Lone Star College in the Cy Fair area, they can also choose to go to the University of Houston in Sugar Land!
So much for "economic development" measures and keeping Katy at the center of things!
Here is my letter:
Katy, TX 77450
October 24, 2009
R.
Bowen Loftin, Ph.D.
Office of the President
1246 TAMU
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-1246
Dear President Loftin:
My
reason for writing has to do with a local issue in
my part of Texas.
I realize you are the interim President,
but this issue cannot wait!
Currently a task force headed by Senator Glenn
Hegar has been established for the apparent
purpose of influencing which college, university,
or community college should prevail in the Katy
area.
If
you are not familiar with Katy, there are no large
cities in the area, the small City of Katy is
surrounded by the ETJ of the City of Houston, and
the prevailing government is the Katy Independent
School District.
Thus there is no compelling centralized
force to direct future planning for a population
of over 300,000 people. Senator Hegar has taken it
upon himself to begin such needed planning as he
represents the area in the State legislature.
The
dilemma is that ideally, one collegiate force
needs to prevail in our area, but selecting just
one is not an easy task.
In
a discussion with Senator Hegar yesterday, we
touched on the influences on the Katy community of
the Houston Community College, Wharton Junior
College, Blinn Junior College, the University of
Houston, and the Lone Star Community College.
Speaking only for myself, I tend not to want any
of those organizations to prevail in our area as I
believe the quality of instruction, the level of
academics, and the politics and associations that
those colleges have with our school district are
not the best.
So
I am writing to suggest to you that the Katy area
would be a perfect place for a Texas A&M
University-Katy to emerge.
Obviously the school district is looking to
compete with private enterprise with regard to
vocational instruction, and such instruction to
continue that effort would have to be a part of
what such a school would have to offer. But a
branch of Texas A&M in this location would also
enhance the academic endeavors of Katy ISD
graduates.
It is my belief that over time, that sort
of opportunity would better serve our loosely
organized community. Katy Texas is a bedroom
community with a diverse population.
There are many up-scale homes, but there
are just as many middle class enclaves as well.
Ninety-two percent of the children coming from
these homes, when asked, state that they want to
go to college, but precious few of them are able
to do so.
Obstacles for them include the education
being delivered by the public schools, the
economy, and the distance necessary to travel to
access a good university.
There are many teachers here who would benefit
from a nearby university as well as thousands of
students who are graduated from Katy, Cy Fair, and
Fort Bend school districts each year. Of course a
site in Katy could also serve the entire Houston
area. No other site would provide such a strong
attraction for both students as well as
economic development.
When asked, many of those people would like to
attend Texas A&M.
While they perhaps cannot gain admission to
the main university in College Station, having a
local branch might give them the opportunity to do
so at a later time in their college careers.
As
a former Katy ISD school board member, I have
often lamented the dearth of universities that are
close to our area.
I
see that you also attended Rice University as did
my husband and two sons. You and I both know the
benefits of attending great universities. Texas
A&M enjoys a marvelous reputation, and I feel a
branch of your university would be welcome here,
and it would certainly serve to decrease the
obstacles facing our students with regard to a
quality post-secondary education.
If
you can direct me to someone who might be
interested in discussing such an opportunity for
our local area, I would very much appreciate
hearing from you.
Regards,
Mary R. McGarr
(Mrs. Gary L.)
CC:
Senator Glenn Hegar