Bailey: Demographic changes will impact universities dramatically

MCALLEN, Texas – During a panel discussion at the MxLAN International Economic Summit, UT-Rio Grande Valley President Dr. Guy Bailey was asked about changes underway in higher education.

Bailey said there were changes underway, but they were having less effect in the Valley.

“What higher education faces around the United States, especially in the Northeast and the Midwest, is declining enrollments. In fact, only two states in the United States have an increasing number of students graduating from high school. Yes, you’ve guessed, Texas is one. The other is Utah,” Bailey said.

“So, everybody wants to come down here and recruit (our students) by the way. And so demographic changes will actually affect universities dramatically. People don’t understand, I don’t think, just how much demography has driven the development of higher education.”

Bailey said the composition of student bodies are changing rapidly.

“We (UTRGV) are well positioned there. Our undergraduate student body is about 94 percent Latino. And our overall student body is about 91 percent (Latino) or so. We are what the rest of the country is going to be.”

Bailey said UTRGV is very successful with Pell Grant students, first generation students.

“That is why we rank so highly. And the rest of the country is going to have to adapt to that and adopt some of the things we’re doing, we think, to be successful in the future. So, it is changing dramatically. The good news for us is that we think we’re on the cutting edge of it.”

A great brand

The title of the panel discussion was “Investing in Educated Human Capital.” The moderator was Julian Alvarez, vice president and director of community relations for Lone Star National Bank.

At one point in the conversation, Alvarez said UTRGV has a great brand a great product.

Bailey responded:

“I think that is right. I think we can tell that because of the support we get. You know the philanthropic support is really reflective of the confidence people have in you and your product. And so, sometime this fall, I am going to let the cat out of the bag and Kelly might get mad at me, we are going to announce we have raised over $250 million, a quarter of a million dollars, since we started.

“That is a lot of money. But what it really does… more than the money, it is the confidence and support that your community has in you. And that is really what you are trying to generate. That is the kind of partnership that makes a university great. It is not just great faculty and wonderful students. It is a community that fully embraces what you are doing. So, we are really fortunate to have that kind of embrace from our community.”

Bailey was referencing Dr. Kelly Nassour, executive vice president for institutional advancement.

Starting their own business

Moderator Alvarez also asked about the entrepreneurial spirit of Valley students.

Bailey said that was certainly the case at UTRGV.

“You know, one of the interesting things… we do try to… our university belongs really to the Rio Grande Valley. And so, we have the values of the Valley, and they inform our institution,” Bailey said.

“One of the things you’ll notice about the students in business here, and by the way we have the Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, and it’s named that for a reason. If you go to any of the other universities where I’ve been and you talk to the business students, they want to go work at Exxon and they want to go work for this big corporation. Our kids want to start their own businesses. Over and over, you hear kids say that and that differentiates them from anybody I’ve ever been around in the country. That speaks very well for the future of the region.

“And that’s why we have a College of Business and Entrepreneurship because we know that our kids, they’re not just going to work for people. They’re going to start their own businesses. They will be the innovators of the future.”

Editor’s Note: The other panelist appearing on stage with Alvarez and Bailey was Dr. Rodney H. Rodriguez, vice president for institutional advancement and economic development at South Texas College. The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service has an exclusive interview with Rodriguez coming up in our next edition.

Editor’s Note: A third panelist listed in the program, Manuel ‘Manny’ Vela, associate vice president and COO for Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen, was unable to attend.

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