Judge Urges Education Board, Institutions to Settle Their Differences

Black Issues in Higher Education, March 4, 1999

AUSTIN, Texas -- A judge has urged higher education officials to try to expedite a settlement of a dispute concerning ties between Texas A&M University and the South Texas College of Law.

State District Judge Suzanne Covington told educators last month to hire a mediator to settle a lawsuit that South Texas officials filed against the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

South Texas officials want a court order declaring legal and binding an affiliation agreement between A&M and the private Houston law school. The affiliation was billed as giving A&M a sorely wanted law school without building or buying one, and South Texas more name recognition without leaving downtown Houston.

However, the deal came under criticism from the coordinating board, which last year rejected A&M's request to expand its curriculum to include law. The coordinating board oversees state-supported universities and approves academic degrees.

The judge's order came after several hours of arguments by attorneys of both schools and the coordinating board over how terms of the affiliation should be interpreted.

Coordinating board lawyers also contend that A&M officials should have gotten the board's permission before signing the affiliation.

Lawyers for the schools says there are no state laws or regulations banning public universities like A&M from crafting such affiliations.

The judge says if the case is not resolved soon, "spin-off" lawsuits could be filed by people and agencies affected by the case.

"The longer this situation goes on unresolved, the worse situation that everyone is in," she says.