Nt Law School Bill To Be Reviewed By Legislature

NT80 · January 24, 2007

Legislators review bill for new NT law school

University, Dallas officials looking forward to verdict

Wendy Moore

Issue date: 1/24/07

The Texas Legislature will decide during the current legislative session whether to fund half the cost of building the NT-Dallas College of Law.

The law school, which is projected to make its home in the historic Municipal Courts Building located at Harwood and Main streets, will cost an estimated $60 million. The City of Dallas is giving NT the Municipal Courts Building, worth about $10 million, and has committed to funding half of the cost of the renovations for the NT-Dallas College of Law, said Cynthia Hall, director of external affairs for the NT system. A bill to allocate $30 million, which will match the money from Dallas, was submitted to Texas Legislature to alleviate the remaining half of the renovations' cost.

NT officials will know whether the bill passed by the end of May when the Texas Legislature adjourns.

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, has already carried and filed the bill in the Texas Senate. A group of Texas House of Representative members, including Dan Branch, Rafael Anchia, Helen Giddings and Tony Goolsby, will carry the bill in the house, Hall said.

"I think we have a very good chance of getting the law school passed this year," Hall said.

Of the $30 million asked from the Legislature, approximately $3 million was requested for 2008-2009, so the school could employ a new dean and faculty for the college, Hall said. Administration will first choose a committee to select a dean for the college.

"The dean will then look for faculty and an administration staff," Hall said. "The goal is to start enrolling students in 2008 to start classes in Fall 2009."

The classes will start in the University Union while renovations take place at the Municipal Courts Building. The money for the renovations will come from the remainder of the money requested from the legislature, if it passes.

A.C. Gonzalez, assistant city manager of Dallas, said the city is very supportive of the public law schools.

"It would be a tremendous asset to the community and the city to have that kind of facility in downtown," Gonzalez said. "It provides the first public school opportunity for those of our citizens who want to further their education in law."

He said the increased number of jobs created by the law school and the demand for more retail and retail facilities in downtown will help Dallas' economy.

The Metroplex is currently the largest metropolitan area in the nation without a public law school, said Roddy Wolper, director of news and information at NT.

"Texas Tech opened the last supported public law school in Texas," Gonzalez said. "That was in 1967. We're thinking it's probably time to open another."

Hall said currently Southern Methodist University is the only private college to have a law school in Dallas, and Texas Wesleyan University is the only private law school in Fort Worth. She said she does not believe the addition of the public law school will hurt those programs, and a public law school will cost about the same amount as graduate school at a university, Hall said.

"Students who want to go to law school and cannot afford SMU or Wesleyan have to go to Austin, Houston or the Panhandle," Hall said. "This will make it a lot easier for those students to complete their education in the area, and it will be much more affordable."

Edited January 24, 2007 by NT80