Regents agree to statue honoring LBJ at Texas State

Date of Release: 08/26/2005

SAN MARCOS—Texas State University-San Marcos will soon commemorate its most prominent alumnus – Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States – by erecting a statue of him on campus.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents, meeting Thursday and Friday in Alpine on the campus of Sul Ross State University, has authorized Texas State officials to seek designs for a statue of Johnson and has cleared them to spend up to $100,000 on the project.

Texas State remains the only university in Texas to have graduated a United States president or vice president. While Johnson’s memory remains alive on the Texas State campus – the LBJ Memorial Student Center is named in his honor as is the university’s Lyndon Baines Johnson Distinguished Lecture Series – there has never been a statue of the former president placed on campus.

Texas State Associated Student Government leaders approached the university administration with the proposal during the last academic year, and the Student Service Fee Advisory Committee unanimously agreed to allocate funding for the project from its reserve fund. The project also received the endorsement of the university’s Pride and Traditions Task Force.

Under the plan approved by the regents, the university will solicit proposals from sculptors, and the school’s Public Art Committee will review the proposals and make a recommendation to President Denise Trauth regarding the sculptor to do the work.

Johnson graduated from Texas State in 1930 with a permanent teaching certificate. He returned to campus many times, both as president and in his retirement years. In 1965, he returned to his alma mater to sign the Higher Education Act, which opened the doors of higher education to many who could not previously afford it.

The university will commemorate that event on Nov. 8 when Arnold Mitchem, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, will come to Texas State to deliver the Lyndon Baines Johnson Distinguished Lecture. Johnson’s daughter, Luci Baines Johnson, will also speak on campus that day.

In other Texas State related business, the regents:

* Adopted an operating budget of $290.6 million for Texas State for the 2006 fiscal year.
* Authorized the university to employ Carter-Burgess of Austin to do an evaluation and feasibility study, prepare preliminary plans, design and prepare construction documents for the campus utility upgrade at a total project cost of $11.8 million.
* Authorized the university to employ Garza/Bomberger and Associates of San Antonio to do a feasibility study, prepare preliminary plans and prepare construction documents for the Pleasant Street Parking Garage addition at a total project cost of $5 million.
* Authorized the university to employ O’Connell Robertson and Associates of Austin to do a feasibility study, prepare preliminary plans and design and prepare construction documents for the Mitte Building fifth floor finish-out at a total project cost of $3.5 million and the Pecos renovation at a total project cost of $619,782.
* Authorized the university to employ the Broussard Group, doing business as TBG Partners, of Austin to do a feasibility study, prepare preliminary plans, design and prepare construction documents for the Concho Street redevelopment project at a total project cost of $3 million.
* Authorized the university to take bids and issue purchase orders for furniture and equipment, instructional technology equipment, custodial equipment, data and telephone equipment and installation for McCoy Hall at a cost not to exceed $2 million.
* Authorized the university to take bids and issue purchase orders or purchase from the Texas Building and Procurement Commission’s TXMAS Government Services Administration contract program furniture and equipment for the Round Rock Higher Education Center at a cost not to exceed $1.3 million.
* Authorized the university to designate C. Patrick Oles as holder of the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies. Oles is president and CEO of Barshop and Oles Co., a commercial real estate development and management firm.
* Authorized the university to award faculty and staff salary increases equal to 3 percent of salaries effective Sept. 1.
* Acknowledged gifts to the university of $5,000 or more:
o Gifts from the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation were designated in support of the Mitte Honors Program and the Mitte Laureate Program.
o The Burdine Johnson Foundation donated in support of the Katherine Anne Porter House and in support of the cleaning and restoration of the Buck Winn murals in the Special Collections at the Alkek Library.
o The International Institute for Environment Risk Management LP donated in support to the International Institute for Environment Risk Management.
o Texas State alumnus Charles Head and his wife, Mimi, owners of Head Paint and Wallcovering, donated to the Bobcat Athletic Foundation.
o The Manual Therapy Institute in Cedar Park donated to the Department of Physical Therapy.
o Phi Upsilon Omicron contributed to the Department of Family and Consumer Science scholarship.
o The Fashion Merchandising Association donated in support of the Department of Family and Consumer Science scholarship program.
o The Cecilia Young Willard Helping Fund contributed to purchase automated external defibrillators for use on the Texas State campus.
o The Faye L. and William L. Cowden Charitable Foundation donated to the Rising Star Writing Project.
o The Garvey Family Foundation contributed for the restoration of the Buck Winn murals in the Alkek Library Special Collections.
* Acknowledged gifts of $5,000 or more to the Texas State University-San Marcos Development Foundation:
o The Compass Group, on behalf of Chartwells Food Service, donated in support of the Celebrity Classic.
o Priority Personnel donated in support of the Celebrity Classic.
o A gift of stock donated by James E. and Cathey E. Moore will be used for scholarships for students majoring in business and education.
o Professor Emeritus Everette Swinney and his wife, Donna J. Swinney, donated to the Swinney Scholarship Fund.
o The Park West Gallery of Southfield, Mich., donated in support of the Louis A. and Reed Brantley Parr Fine Arts Endowment.
o The Texas Chapter of the American Foundrymen’s Society donated in support of the Cast Metals Engineering Endowed Professorship in the Department of Engineering and Technology.
o Mr. and Mrs. Guillermo A. Wolff donated to the Wolff Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of their late son Guillermo Antonio Wolff, who was a Texas State student at the time of his death.
* Acknowledged gifts of $5,000 or more to the Emmett and Miriam McCoy College of Business Administration Development Foundation in support of the Sam Barshop Professorship in Entrepreneurial Studies from Herb D. Kelleher, S. Todd and Diana B. Maclin, Edward B. and Nancy Lee Kelley, G. Hughes Abell, Colleen C. Barrett, Elsa G. Barshop, Louis and Julie Beecherl, the Hanke Group, Mr. and Mrs. Red McCombs and H.B. Zachry Jr.
* Added a bachelor of science degree with a major in anthropology and deleted bachelor’s degree programs in marine biology and information systems management.
* Approved a memorandum of understanding between Texas State and Austin Community College for the operation of the Round Rock Higher Education Center.
* Authorized the university to enter into a one-year interagency cooperative contract with the University of Texas at Austin for Internet and Internet 2 access.
* Authorized the university to enter a contract with McLemore Building Maintenance to provide night custodial services in the LBJ Student Center.
* Authorized the university to grant an easement to the San Marcos Electric Utility along the eastern boundary of the university’s property at McCarty Lane and Interstate 35.
* Approved fourth class day reports for Summer Session I and Summer Session II.
* Approved routine personnel matters, budget adjustments and course fees.

The TSUS Board of Regents governs Angelo State University in San Angelo, Lamar University in Beaumont, Lamar State College-Port Arthur, Lamar State College-Orange, Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas State and Sul Ross State University in Alpine, including the Rio Grande College with campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Uvalde.

Members of the board are Alan W. Dreeben of San Antonio, chair; Kent Adams of Beaumont, vice chair; Dora G. Alcala of Del Rio; John E. Dudley of Comanche; Dionicio “Don” Flores of El Paso; Bernie C. Francis of Addison; James A. “Jimmy” Hayley of Texas City; and Pollyanna A. Stephens of San Angelo. Charles Matthews is chancellor of the system.