On The Record, June 19, 2009 Page: 10 of 40
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Dallas
Story by
Nasreen Iqbal
Law
School
7
Pictumby Kevin Nichols
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 col-
lege 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 esti-
mated $40 million needed to establish
the school will be mostly coming from
taxpayers' pockets.
"The legislature has agreed to contrib-
ute 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 contrib-
uted $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."
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.
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
an d 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 reputati on 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 fac ulty. "I
see a lot of tal ented students whose options are
limited by finances or location."
A search committee selected by Hall and her
staif 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 establish-
ing faculty and determining criteria for first
year students as well," Hall said.
Such criteria include LS AT and GPA
requirements that an admissions board will
look for in applicants to a law school.
The historic site
Hie city of Dallas has donated the Municipal
Building also known as the Old City Hall build-
ing as the official location for the school. The
building itself holds significant legal and histori-
cal 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 LINT in the House of
Representatives.
After receiving phone calls from eager stu-
dents, 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 poten-
tial students waiting for us to open our doors,"
she said.
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On The Record, June 19, 2009, periodical, 2009; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145821/m1/10/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .