Creating better opportunities at Sul Ross
When I began last summer as president of Sul Ross State University — which is both my alma mater and my hometown college in Alpine — I knew there would be challenges: teaching during COVID, finding ways to increase enrollment and providing more financial aid, to start.
I immediately introduced new ideas to overcome them. My experience is as a lawyer and legislator, and I served for years on the conference committee that balanced multiple Texas state budgets. So, naturally, I started looking at finances.
Most of our funds come from taxpayers, and students and their families. We have a duty to use their hard-earned money — and any contributions from supporters — carefully and strategically. It’s a duty I take seriously.
That’s why I am taking a close look at fundraising and how to increase investment income.
For years, Sul Ross has failed to maximize opportunities to raise money and earn interest.
The university has not had a good email list of supporters or strategy to reach out to alumni who could directly help our students.
Just as concerning are the operations of the Sul Ross University Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2003 to raise money and support the university. Unfortunately, the foundation was doing neither and was not operating in Sul Ross’ best interests.
For example, in January 2020, the Mccoy family — of Mccoy’s Building Supply — generously donated $5 million for Sul Ross’ Museum of the Big Bend. The foundation chose to put that money in certificates of deposit that earned 0.06 percent per year.
In contrast, money managed directly by the university is placed in the Texas State University System’s Unitized Endowment Fund (we are a proud member of that system). From last June through this February, that fund earned a 12.49 percent rate of return — 208 times what the foundation was earning.
Had the Mccoy family gift been invested there, it could have grown by $500,000. Instead, it earned close to zero interest.
As of June, more than half the foundation’s assets were invested in accounts earning that same low rate. Poor judgment leads to poor performance. Because of that poor performance, I have ended the university’s affiliation with the foundation and requested the university directly manage the funds from the Mccoy gift, which still will be used for their dedicated purpose. We will also establish a new foundation with clearer bylaws and expectations, and broader representation.
Some critics have said my decision was about politics, personalities or part of an alleged “feud.” That’s just silly. For Sul Ross to improve, we must improve our performance and set higher standards. It’s ironic that some who say they want increased accountability are now complaining about my decision.
I am trying to bring that same accountability to everything on our four campuses.
That includes decisions that may seem small: I eliminated a policy of throwing out clothing that was left in the washers and dryers in our residence halls overnight. I did this after hearing from a single mother who had to spend money she really could not spare on new clothes for her son simply because he was late in taking his old clothes from the dryer.
It also includes larger decisions to help students graduate on time and with less debt: We have created summer housing stipends, introduced new scholarships, hired academic advisers and invested in technology to continue remote learning even after COVID-19 has passed.
Texas State University System Chancellor Brian Mccall and I are also working directly with legislative leaders and former colleagues in the Legislature to secure funding for our Alpine campus and the campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Uvalde, which are known as the Rio Grande College. Our goal is to build a new facility for the Rio Grande College to better support transfer students from Southwest Texas Junior College.
Indeed, the system has a strong record of improving its institutions. Every other school in the system has increased enrollment since 2010 — as much as 26 percent— and we aim to do the same.
This all begins by asking hard financial questions.
I am not surprised by the pushback I’ve gotten. That’s what happens when you make forward progress — I learned long ago that no one tries to tackle you unless they think you are carrying the ball.