The University of Houston System, in support of a directive from the Board of Regents to bolster initiatives to make the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) a destination university, has purchased strategic acreage immediately across from UHV for future campus expansion.

The purchase of the 2.141 acres on Ben Wilson Street is strategic in that it supports the UHV campus master plan for future expansion. The UH System financed the purchase of the land, which cost about $5 million, on behalf of UHV, said Carl Carlucci, executive vice chancellor of administration and finance for the UH System.

The goal of the acquisition is to provide space for UHV to build a series of new academic buildings, including a new Welcome Center.

“The UH System has already made a significant investment in UHV up front, but additional financial support is needed to fund construction of the planned academic buildings associated with this land purchase,” said R. Vic Morgan, interim president of UHV.

“We’ll be seeking a total of $130 million in tuition revenue bonds through our Legislative Appropriation Request (LAR) to the state’s Legislative Budget Board (LBB), which would provide the necessary funding for UHV’s academic buildings,” said Darrin Hall, executive director of governmental relations for the UH System. “Once our LAR is submitted to the LBB, members of the Texas Legislature must allocate the funding in the 2015 legislative session for these projects to be realized.”

Carlucci said the proposed projects are a priority for the UH System.

“These buildings would go a long way toward establishing UHV as a destination university,” he said.

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