UNT continues expansion in Frisco

[Salsa_Verde]

Although I would like to see more development and investment done on the main campus, I know long term this is a good thing for the university. 

https://www.ntdaily.com/unt-announces-plans-for-new-100-million-branch-campus-in-frisco/

Edited May 2, 2018 by Salsa_Verde

[dmaxel]

On 5/2/2018 at 5:38 PM, Salsa_Verde said:

Although I would like to see more development and investment done on the main campus, I know long term this is a good thing for the university. 

https://www.ntdaily.com/unt-announces-plans-for-new-100-million-branch-campus-in-frisco/

Could you actually share why you think it'll be good? Because right now I'm trying to come up with my own reasons to justify it but I'm very much in the "invest in main campus instead" camp. And apparently I'm in the minority for not liking this Frisco expansion. I get that there's a good chance it'll turn into UNT-Frisco much like we have UNT-Dallas right now, but what does main campus get out of adding another institution to the UNT System?

[KRAM1]

Main campus is running out of room quickly. Collin County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. UNT main campus has little to no room for new programs and departments.  I could go on.....

[EagleMBA]

My thoughts are mixed, I guess.  My initial reaction is that it is good to deliver services in a more convenient location for some consumers. On the other hand, I would think it necessary to deliver certain core courses to fashion a quality program and thereby duplicating efforts or forcing some faculty to "road trip". I get that we can customize a few courses to accommodate the needs of the specific businesses in that area or create a new program or two. Does that mean that Denton resident students have to "road trip" to Frisco if they find those courses valuable to their particular needs? I fear the potential for "mission creep" here, duplication of efforts, and costs that could get out of control. So I like that we're expanding our regional presence but I don't want it to cannibalize the mothership. Just my two cents.

[forevereagle]

There are a lot of people living in Frisco and the surrounding areas with more growth coming. A lot of those people are working people who would like to go back to school for one reason or another, but simply don't want to drive to Denton to attend classes. Lots of reasons for that, but they aren't doing it. Building this campus puts the University right in their back yard, so they are now able to attend classes they previously would not have. 

[dmaxel]

I'm just afraid that these branch locations are going to be like community colleges but with the UNT name on them (unless it does spin off to become its own institution a la UNT-Dallas, then that becomes less of an issue). I just don't want the quality of the programs on main campus to deteriorate, both in reality and through perception.

[KRAM1]

9 minutes ago, dmaxel said:

I'm just afraid that these branch locations are going to be like community colleges but with the UNT name on them (unless it does spin off to become its own institution a la UNT-Dallas, then that becomes less of an issue). I just don't want the quality of the programs on main campus to deteriorate, both in reality and through perception.

Not a chance...especially under our current president.

[dmaxel]

3 minutes ago, KRAM1 said:

Not a chance...especially under our current president.

I hope so. I'd maybe be more OK with it if there were examples of other universities doing the same and having it be beneficial to them.

[KRAM1]

3 minutes ago, dmaxel said:

I hope so. I'd maybe be more OK with it if there were examples of other universities doing the same and having it be beneficial to them.

I think if you will research it you will find that UNT is far from alone.

[UNTFan23]

I've thought about taking continuing education classes as the Frisco campus because ... well it's closer to where I live.

[dmaxel]

3 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

I think if you will research it you will find that UNT is far from alone.

Finally took the time to look it up, and you're right. Examples include Ohio State, Arizona State, and Penn State.

Edited May 5, 2018 by dmaxel

[Salsa_Verde]

22 hours ago, dmaxel said:

Could you actually share why you think it'll be good? Because right now I'm trying to come up with my own reasons to justify it but I'm very much in the "invest in main campus instead" camp. And apparently I'm in the minority for not liking this Frisco expansion. I get that there's a good chance it'll turn into UNT-Frisco much like we have UNT-Dallas right now, but what does main campus get out of adding another institution to the UNT System?

As I understand it, the Frisco campus will not become its own independent university in the future. The reason why I think it’s a good idea long term, is that it enlarges the footprint of the university in a expanding area.  

[meangreenJW]

I think it's a good deal. My guess is most degrees will be graduate degrees geared toward one of the hottest young (and old) professional communities in the world. The current UNT campus had exceeded early projections. UNT is basically getting free prime real estate in exchange for committing to build out a campus. Here's the other reality, if UNT didn't do it a competitor would have. I would have been so pissed if I read UT-Arlington was doing this. I'll bet they felt the same when they read what we are doing. Managing limiting resources to invest in both Denton and Frisco won't be easy, but I trust Smatresk to figure it out. 

[wardly]

UNT is going where the growth and money is. This campus will have the same effect on UNT Denton that UNT Dallas, UNT Dallas Law School, and UNT Health Center in Ft Worth does, which is nothing.I am just surprised that University of Texas at Dallas didn't beat us to it.

[Salsa_Verde]

I was honestly apprehensive about all this, 100 million dollars isn’t chump change. Then I read the Dallas Morning News article. They basically trashed the whole idea. It seems to me DMN is not a fan of North Texas, for whatever reason as I’ve seen more negative articles about UNT in that publication than in other newspapers. I’m fully on board now. It’s true, if it were any other school doing this there wouldn’t be an issue IMHO

GMG 

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

On 5/4/2018 at 4:40 PM, dmaxel said:

I'm just afraid that these branch locations are going to be like community colleges but with the UNT name on them (unless it does spin off to become its own institution a la UNT-Dallas, then that becomes less of an issue). I just don't want the quality of the programs on main campus to deteriorate, both in reality and through perception.

-- I teach at at a community college..... Let me explain a big difference ... here and at most good community colleges and small colleges.... students get profs with master's degrees and PHD's that have taught a lot of years (usually) and at most large 4-year schools students their Freshman and maybe sophomore year usually get--  1). some person who may be an "instructor" with only a Bachelor's degree and working on a Masters and maybe even teaching a class for the first time ever. , ----2). extremely large classes and unable to ask many if any questions, --- 3) Some person with a foreign accent that they can barely understand. ----  I honestly believe in a lot of cases students get a better education at a smaller college or community college their first year, maybe two...

--- My summer classes tend to be .. 1/3 Aggies, 1/3 TxTech, and the 1/3 others ... and those are the complaints I hear regularly.. especially the last two... I  do not just give out grades easily as the post above indicates.  Maybe somewhere .. but not here... Students tell me the best thing is they can ask questions and understand us... I asked my class last summer (during the final week) who had had a prof they tried to take and  could not understand or a class that was huge.... Most raised their hand. --- I was once a TA at TxTech as were many others on staff somewhere... I know what goes on.  There is zero pressure here to pass students  .... they will know the content or else they fail.. Those last  two reasons is why so many go here in the summer. 

--- We do get feedback from some universities ... I have several times heard that our transfers to 4-yr. colleges including UNT have higher GPAs than the students that started there..... UNT was one of best at feedback for a while .... [ seems to  indicate our students are getting as good or better background than the ones that start at 4-yr colleges ]... 

--- We also have some classes here taught by other colleges including TxTech and Sul Ross... in fact we have one building on campus with the Texas Tech name on it. The Frisco site will likely be filled with mostly older students (20+) going back to school (sometimes women with kids now) and traveling is a problem to them, or those who are living at home still and trying to reduce costs, or those that may  be working full or part-time....  Most of these older students tend to work harder because they now understand the importance of an education. 

-- My pet peve is on-line classes from anywhere... Most students I see that have had them didn't learn what they should have. (math) .. just memorized methods and don't really understand.   Maybe it works in some subjects... not math ..  Having this campus will reduce that need some. 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[wardly]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 4:40 PM, dmaxel said:

I'm just afraid that these branch locations are going to be like community colleges but with the UNT name on them (unless it does spin off to become its own institution a la UNT-Dallas, then that becomes less of an issue). I just don't want the quality of the programs on main campus to deteriorate, both in reality and through perception.

At some point the Frisco campus will be a stand-a-lone campus. If memory serves, UTD was intended to offer classes only for juniors and seniors to supplement local  community  colleges and then evolved into a 4 year university.

[3XNTGRAD]

13 hours ago, wardly said:

At some point the Frisco campus will be a stand-a-lone campus. If memory serves, UTD was intended to offer classes only for juniors and seniors to supplement local  community  colleges and then evolved into a 4 year university.

The provost told the Faculty Senate yesterday that there is no plan to make Frisco a stand-alone university.  The goal is to make this an extension of the main campus like Discovery Park, but very much connected to the main campus rather than an independent university.

[EAGLE83]

Could we use the FRISCO baseball park and start the baseball team sooner. MARSHALL USES A BALLPARK IN CHARLESTON  WEST VA.

[LongJim]

Midwestern State just opened a campus at the NCTC building in Flower Mound.  Tech has a med/nursing campus in Abilene.  My BIL got his BSN from Tech there without stepping foot on campus in Lubbock.  Tarleton has a satellite in FW. 

Lots of 4 year schools have sites off the main campus, and many have online presence also.  I think several here would be shocked at how many online courses undergrad students at UNT take, and how many students knock out Fr/So classes at places like NCTC and Collin C.  It is a HUGE number.

[southsideguy]

I am not sure if this is the way it is in Texas but I know in New Mexico the more real estate the university has the money they get from the state.  UNM has a satellite campus about 20 miles from the main campus and it has satellite campus in many of the smaller cities.  The other smaller schools have done the same thing.  New Mexico Highlands University has satellite campus in Albuquerque.  It could be all about the money and might help buffer from us becoming UT 😫Denton, Texas A&M😭 Denton.  Just think if we became UT Denton we get to have those neat orange and blue uniforms that UTSA and UTEP share.

[EagleMBA]

22 hours ago, southsideguy said:

 It could be all about the money and might help buffer from us becoming UT 😫Denton, Texas A&M😭 Denton.  Just think if we became UT Denton we get to have those neat orange and blue uniforms that UTSA and UTEP share.

[wardly]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 9:24 PM, 3XNTGRAD said:

The provost told the Faculty Senate yesterday that there is no plan to make Frisco a stand-alone university.  The goal is to make this an extension of the main campus like Discovery Park, but very much connected to the main campus rather than an independent university.

What they say now to get state funding and what happens down the road after they get it are two different fish.But if it does become a stand a lone it will probably be a long time coming.

[oldguystudent]

There was a semester in 2010 where I had a morning class in downtown Dallas, a 2pm class in Denton, and a 6pm class in Frisco.  

This particular combination was the only available way to progress toward my degree that particular semester.  

The professors for all classes were tenured out of Denton, not rent-an-instructors.  

Nonetheless, I signed up to take classes in Denton, not be some academic freeway flier because it was "convenient" for some myopic planner to set things up that way.  

I'm fine with Frisco and Dallas and fricking Cisco, TX if that's what they want to do, but no student should be compelled to drive about all these different locations to complete their degree. 

[EagleMBA]

On 5/14/2018 at 7:16 AM, oldguystudent said:

There was a semester in 2010 where I had a morning class in downtown Dallas, a 2pm class in Denton, and a 6pm class in Frisco.  

This particular combination was the only available way to progress toward my degree that particular semester.  

The professors for all classes were tenured out of Denton, not rent-an-instructors.  

Nonetheless, I signed up to take classes in Denton, not be some academic freeway flier because it was "convenient" for some myopic planner to set things up that way.  

I'm fine with Frisco and Dallas and fricking Cisco, TX if that's what they want to do, but no student should be compelled to drive about all these different locations to complete their degree. 

And then they wonder why it is so hard to get all those alumni to engage after graduation. I would think that prolonged experiences like cited above would tend to give one a bad case of the "giveashits".