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This is a great article outlining the issues facing the Texas legislature in terms of moving beyond just two tier one flagship universities in Texas (UT and Texas A&M). It's a fairly long article but really worth reading as it provides a lot of insight on the obstacles facing universities like UNT who are striving for tier one status. Here are a couple of snippets: "...But a patchwork funding system cobbled together in recent years by lawmakers hoping to boost the emerging research universities doesn’t come close to providing the steady infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars it would take to lift even a couple of them into the big leagues within the next 10 or 20 years, higher education leaders say. One telling example: Lawmakers passed a measure encouraging schools to raise private donations that would be eligible for matching state grants, but then shorted them by $122.6 million, an American-Statesman analysis shows." "Bottom line: The state’s efforts are likely to lift all eight educational boats somewhat, but none enough to qualify as true flagships." "The Lone Star State currently has no schools in the magazine’s top 10. Its highest-ranked, UT, is No. 17, followed by A&M at 25, UT-Dallas at 76 and Texas Tech at 84." “Much of Texas politics is rhetorical, with little reference to the real world and the kinds of investments it takes to move an educational system,” Jillson said. “The goal of moving Texas’ universities to a top 10 status is grand, but the investment is very modest.” Read more: Politics, lack of funding hamper Texas universities’ climb to top tier - MRT.com: Education