TU announces that we will be an R1 level research institution within the next 10 years:
Pursuit of R1 Status
- Thread starter goldenhurricane2
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Rice has almost as many graduate students as undergraduate students.(4500/4100) I wonder if that will be our model while pursuing it.
Were you looking at the old requirements or the new ones that take effect in 2025?
If they specialize in at least one area to meet that requirement they might be able to do it though. For instance cyber security. We have to bring our Grad students to way above 1000 students and/or specialize in one or two programs to hardcore maintain 70 doctoral students. If they specialize, then they might be able to gradually expand that to a few more programs, making it easier to maintain.
But yeah 70 Doctoral candidates at any one time is hard to maintain for a university as small as ours. But Rice does it, and they aren't that far off us in undergrad. Graduate is where they kick our butt. (3k/4.5k undergrad 1k/4k grad)
The PhD program in cybersecurity related topics was just expanded and has drawn considerable interest. I seem to remember hearing enrollment doubled in the second year. I can't remember. That type of stuff doesn't really catch my attention.
There are many obstacles. The primary one is securing research dollars from government and the private sector, many of whom have government and enterprise connections, commitments, and priorities that dont include TU, Tulsa, Oklahoma, or middle America. Attracting research talent to a remote city away from an enterprise base of interest to researchers in nearly every subject except fossil fuels and agriculture is another obstacle. And then we need about $100 million in cash for capital improvements. The money is simultaneously the biggest and smallest challenge. And then finally the last piece is cementing leadership at the Tier 1 and Tier 2 level. TU becoming R1 would attract nationwide attention and as it neared that goal, the leadership would naturally drawn handsome offers from larger schools with deeper pockets eager for their experience and expertise. Maintaining momentum towards the end of the project, or locking it in through extended contracts, would also require handsome sums.
Still, if Houston can do it, anybody can.
Still, if Houston can do it, anybody can.
The world is full of naysayers, they walk among us on here, the people who will tell you over and over why little old TU can't accomplish great things, or how very, very hard it is, or the list of 48 things that are too hard for us to achieve. They make a living trying to make sure everybody stays down at their level. Fortunately Brad is the opposite of a naysayer, but I'm sure a very large part of his job is vanquishing those people.
I would definitely not call you a naysayer, more an advocate of excellence.
This is an admirable path to pursue. It is much more admirable than pursuing billions of dollars in NIL money.
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