Data science center gets big-name boost
A proposed data science institute on the Houston land purchased by the University of Texas System gained two high-profile allies on Thursday in Mayor Sylvester Turner and University of Houston System Board of Regents Chairman Tilman Fertitta.
In his annual State of the City address, Turner asked the University of Houston, Rice University and Texas A&M to work with UT to take on a task force’s recommendations for how to use the 300-plus acres near the Texas Medical Center.
The task force pitched the idea for an institute for data science earlier this year, saying it would bolster Houston’s energy and health sectors, envisioning
collaboration with industry and national laboratories. Proponents said the institute’s work could lead to more efficient and sustainable energy distribution and smarter health care delivery.
“If Houston wants to remain a global leader in energy, aeronautics, health care and education, we also need to be a leader in data science. And the world’s premiere data science center needs to be and must be right here in the city of Houston,” Turner told the luncheon audience at the Marriott Marquis hotel downtown.
Fertitta said the University of Houston would be “excited to sit down and collaborate” with Rice University, Texas Southern University, the Texas A&M University System and UT.
Fertitta’s comments marked a sharp change from UH’s position in early 2016, when it declined to participate on the task force put together by UT to determine how to best use the property. UH declined then because UT would have directed the final project solely, Fertitta said.
“If all these other universities are involved, we have no problem with being a part of it,” he said. “We don’t want any one university to come in and dictate.”
Fertitta said he would hope that UT donates the property to the group of universities pursuing the project, should the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approve.
A spokesperson for UT declined comment.
Khator did not endorse
Paul Hobby, co-chair of the UT task force and former Greater Houston Partnership chairman, called Turner’s statements “good news for Houston” in an email. “I appreciate the Mayor’s leadership,” he said, but declined to comment further.
Turner, a University of Houston alumnus, did not substantially address the internal and external opposition that kept UT’s purchase from building traction in Houston when it was announced in 2015.
Resurrecting the proposal could prove logistically and politically challenging.
After UT Chancellor William McRaven revealed the project, UH slammed the purchase as an unfair invasion on its territory, and some lawmakers tore into UT and McRaven for not consulting them in advance, particularly because of the land’s $215 million price tag.
The land deal cost McRaven political capital with Gov. Greg Abbott and some other state politicians after the surprise rollout. McRaven called off the project in March, before the idea for the center was presented.
“We cannot let this opportunity slip through our fingers because the initial approach was wrong,” Turner said Thursday.
He then put out a direct call to UH, noting its goal to become an elite university: “We must not be scared of competition. We must take them on and make it happen.”
Despite Fertitta’s support, University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator did not endorse the collaboration Thursday. Khator was unavailable to be interviewed, but said through a spokesman that she appreciated Turner’s recognition of UH’s work in his address.
Representatives for Rice, TSU and Texas A&M did not respond to requests for comment.
Turner said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board Wednesday that developer David Wolff urged him to support the project. Wolff has tried to rally lawmakers, UT alumni and other Houston leaders in support of the idea.
The project hinges on participation from both UT and UH, said Mark Jones, a Rice University political science professor.
“If UH balks at this idea, it’s effectively a no-go, (and) the same with UT,” he said.
Even if both universities come on board, he said, “it’s still not clear where the funding would come from . ... In a climate of budget scarcity, where do you come up with the millions of dollars needed?”
Turner said the project could circumvent state funding limitations by wooing investments from tech companies and other businesses. Asked if the city would offer incentives to jump-start the project, Turner said he would consult with Andy Icken, the city’s chief development officer.
Weighing the options
Some of UT’s regents came to oppose the project because of existing needs at the system’s individual institutions.
McRaven said the Houston project was overshadowing UT’s universities and health institutions when he called it off in March.
“I’m not sure that the UT System comes back unless all the steps are in place,” said Jay Kumar Aiyer, a Texas Southern University public policy professor. “And that’s the question. They’re not going to get back out there unless there are guarantees and assurances that this is a viable project.”
Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican initially critical of UT’s purchase, said the UT System’s board must weigh its options for how to best use the land.
“The system has bought the property, and it’s in the taxpayer’s best interest to listen to any and all rational proposals,” Bettencourt said.
Any proposal would need approval from Abbott and Houston lawmakers, said Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat.
If it advances, Whitmire said, UT still should sell the massive property and build the institute elsewhere.
“This new proposal can be in the Medical Center, the University of Houston campus, Texas Southern’s campus, Rice campus,” he said. “You don’t need to create a new UT campus in Houston to have this research project.”