The Texas Legislature voted unanimously in both the Senate and House of Representatives on May 31 to pass the bill for the establishment of UNT’s public law school in downtown Dallas.
Governor Rick Perry will now receive the bill where his signature will make it official.
“This bill marks the birth of higher education in Dallas. It will bring many benefits to the city and to college students of today and generations to come,” author of the bill Senator Royce West D-Dallas, said.
Breakdown of the costs
While the bill passed in the House of Representatives earlier in May, it was moved to a conference committee where issues regarding the budget of the college were thoroughly reviewed and any necessary alterations were made.
While contributions from both the city of Dallas as well as the Texas Legislature were agreed upon, the estimated $40 million needed to establish the school will be mostly coming from taxpayers’ pockets.
“The legislature has agreed to contribute at least $5 million to help start up the college,” said Representative Dan Branch who sponsored the bill. “In addition, the city of Dallas has contributed $16 million. The remaining amount will come from General Revenue funds that are included in the state budget, a portion of which is derived from state taxes.”
In a breakdown of the $16 million, the city of Dallas will provide $2 million in start-up costs and about $14 million in bond funds to renovate the facility.
“One of the changes we made was the name of the college,” Branch said. “The official name will be UNT at Dallas College of Law.”
Establishing a basis
Cynthia Hall, UNT’s director of systems and external relations, has been working with the state legislature to establish the new college as a branch of UNT.
“We have been working with Royce West and other members of the legislature from day one,” Hall said. “Our staff and the board of regents have expressed what we believe the law school will need in order to be a success.”
Hall said the law school is set to open in the fall of 2011 with a first year class of about 75-100 students. A request for accreditation by the American Bar Association cannot be made until the school has been in existence for at least one year.
Hall said her staff are determined however to have an accredited law school by the time the first year class is set to graduate.
Dallas is currently the largest city in the country without a public law school, but as of last Sunday supporters of the bill hope to make that reputation a thing of the past.
“It makes sense for a metropolitan area to have a public law school,” said Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha of the political science faculty. “I see a lot of talented students whose options are limited by finances or location.”
A search committee selected by Hall and her staff has recently made efforts to look for an appropriate Dean for the college.
“Once a Dean has been appointed he or she can begin to make progress towards establishing faculty and determining criteria for first year students as well,” Hall said.
Such criteria include LSAT and GPA requirements that an admissions board will look for in applicants to a law school.
The historic site
The city of Dallas has donated the Municipal Building also known as the Old City Hall building as the official location for the school. The building itself holds significant legal and historical importance.
In 1963, the Municipal Building gained fame by becoming the location where Lee Harvey Oswald was shot. The building then served as Dallas City Hall and then as the Dallas Police Headquarters until 2005.
Renovations are expected to be made within and surrounding the building, Hall said. Upon its completion, the building will face the new main street Garden Park that officials hope will add a new and improved atmosphere to downtown Dallas.
The passing of the bill has come as good news to prospective students and supporters of the bill, as well as UNT and state lobbyists who have been working on the bill for over a decade.
“This is wonderful news,” said Myra Crownover who represents both the City of Denton and UNT in the House of Representatives.
After receiving phone calls from eager students, parents and supporters, Hall believes that Dallas is ready for its first public law school.
“I’ve got a feeling that there are a lot of potential students waiting for us to open our doors,” she said.