FORT WORTH -- Texas Wesleyan alum Glenn Lewis wants his alma mater to flourish.
Lewis, from the Class of 1981, envisions the university topping the destination lists of more high school seniors lured by strong academic programs in a vibrant setting.That dream got a big boost last week with Texas Wesleyan University's planned sale of its downtown law school to Texas A&M University, which is expected to provide a big payoff by ushering in a new chapter for the school's main campus on the city's east side. It might also attract a new generation of Wesleyan Rams."Having the Texas Wesleyan name linked to a premier institution like Texas A&M University is bound to help enrollment," Lewis said.A&M plans to buy the Texas Wesleyan School of Law for about $25 million. That money will go into Wesleyan's endowment, which has about $20 million, and bring it closer to the goal of $50 million by 2020. It also comes as Wesleyan leaders embark on more aggressive fundraising.The school downtown will be called the Texas A&M School of Law at Texas Wesleyan University. It will be part of Texas A&M University in College Station, not a satellite campus. A&M System Chancellor John Sharp wants the law school to be directly connected to the top-tier institution overseen by A&M President R. Bowen Loftin.Financial termsUnder the agreement, law school faculty and staff will become A&M employees. Wesleyan will retain ownership and control of the law school building and four blocks at the downtown campus and lease them to A&M for 40 years at $2.5 million a year.A&M will use its endowment and donations to pay for the project, Sharp said.Texas Wesleyan President Frederick Slabach touted the plan last week as showing "a true collaborative partnership" with two joint offerings: a juris doctor/master of business administration program and a "three plus three" program. The latter would let students earn undergraduate and law degrees in six years. The two universities will also create a coordinating council so they can collaborate on other projects.New beginningResidents with deep southeast Fort Worth roots say the agreement signals a new beginning for the campus originally called Polytechnic College. The university was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.Wesleyan leaders, students and alumni have witnessed golden days and dreamed of better ones for the university, tucked away inPolytechnic Heights, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Texas author Oliver Knight in his book, Fort Worth: Outpost on the Trinity, described 1984 as a low for the campus. During that time, the college struggled with debt, sinking enrollment and budget woes, according to Knight.Now, many are ready for rebirth."We are a catalyst of what we believe will be the Rosedale Renaissance," Slabach told reporters Tuesday when Wesleyan unveiled A&M's plans to buy the law school.Brainstorming for future projects at Texas is ongoing and any plans for the endowment fund are preliminary, leaders say. The university is working on a master plan that can serve as a blueprint for growth.Among the ideas being kicked around are a new entryway to the university off Rosedale Street, a clock tower and a new office building to house the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, based in Fort Worth. The university also wants to build a welcome center and an auxiliary gym.More fundraisingThe influx of dollars to Wesleyan's endowment will help support these plans, but they won't be the only funding source, Slabach said. He said in the future Wesleyan will be involved in "significant fundraising.""It's a very good deal for Texas Wesleyan," said Kenneth Jones Jr., chairman of Wesleyan's board of trustees. "There are a lot of good Texas A&M people in Fort Worth who will be glad to have this. We're very happy."The partnership will benefit Wesleyan in the long run, trustees say."A great university has to have a strong financial base," said Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks, a Wesleyan trustee.Brooks said that once Wesleyan increases its endowment, the possibilities are endless for the campus and community. He said the regional campus has had difficulty competing for endowment dollars with other area schools such as the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University."Growing an endowment in that environment is always challenging," Brooks said.SMU and TCU both had endowments of about $1.2 billion, according to a study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers released this year.The University of Texas System's endowment is $17.1 billion. The Texas A&M System is listed at $6.9 billion.Brooks said Wesleyan leaves the bargaining table retaining ownership of valuable downtown property and a partnership with a top university, in addition to keeping its name on the law school. The J.D./MBA program will help enrollment."It will give Wesleyan perhaps a higher profile in the academic community," Brooks said. "This partnership will kick us up a notch."State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford has the distinction of being the law school's first student. Through the years, he's seen the evolution from attending classes in a girls school to the downtown campus that will become an A&M institution."It's just a very advantageous relationship for both universities," King said. "It's showing that they are thinking outside the box and in the exceptionally difficult financial times that we are in -- and we are going to continue to be in for some time -- our public universities are going to have to think outside the box."Becoming an AggieFor Fort Worth City Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, the collaboration between Texas A&M and Texas Wesleyan was welcome news. "Years ago, they were considering moving Texas Wesleyan out of southeast Fort Worth," said Hicks, who also is a Wesleyan trustee.Today, work is under way to benefit the area, Hicks said. She said the council rezoned a portion of the corridor for mixed use -- similar to the plan at West Berry Street near TCU -- which is expected to draw development to revive the historic urban village.Hicks said that when a college grows, its neighbors benefit. "You are going to start to hear more and more about Texas Wesleyan," she said.For Lewis, who graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1983, this new Wesleyan era will mean he'll have to accept a new allegiance in the family.His son will soon start law school in downtown Fort Worth as it joins Aggie Nation."I'm still getting used to the idea of my son being an Aggie," he said with a chuckle.Staff writer Darren Barbee contributed to this report.Diane Smith,817-390-7675Twitter: @dianestarHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
