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UTSA bids for George W. Bush presidential library
By Carol Cutter
News editor
April 26, 2005
Last Monday, President Ricardo Romo submitted a proposal to the UT Board of Regents for UTSA to host the George W. Bush presidential library and museum.
Many universities, including SMU, Baylor and UT Arlington, are also potential sites.
"It is very prestigious to have," Romo said. "A presidential library would attract scholars and students from around the nation, and it could put UTSA on the map for international students."
A presidential library could help push UTSA to tier-one status and expand school programing.
The proposal also includes plans for the George W. Bush Ins ute for Freedom and a high security conference center and hotel. According to UTSA's proposal, the ins ute would serve as an international think tank and secure a meeting place for leaders from all over the world. The hotel would cater to world leaders and scholars. "This could add international flavor to our campus," Romo said.
According to Steve Collins, associate vice chancellor for governmental relations, the advisory committee for the UT system has asked all interested UT schools to continue working on their proposals and to work together.
Collins said the advisory committee is looking to support a proposal that would include a combination of campus and programs. For example, the library might be housed at UTSA, but the museum would be housed at UT-Arlington.
In UTSA's favor is the amount of space available for the library. "We happen to be blessed with a lot of land," Romo said.
UTSA plans to build the library on the land behind the Main Building (MB), if selected to host the facility. Romo is hoping the city of San Antonio will be a selling point. "San Antonio is a great city. It accommodates tourism and the military. We have good highways and a great airport," Romo said of the city's commodities.
If UTSA is selected for the site of the library, fund raising would be done on the national level. In the past, presidents have done a majority of the fund raising for their libraries. This removes most of the financial burden from the universities.
UTSA and other interested schools will submit updated proposals on May 23, when the advisory committee meets again in Austin.
According to Collins, presidents usually choose the site for their library within the last fall of their presidency.
"We don't have any indications that he [President Bush] is in a hurry," Collins said. "But again, he could make a decision as early as tomorrow."
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