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Copyright by Gina Mendez 2006 The Dissertation Committee for Gina Mendez Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Creating Public Policy for Minority Access to Higher Education: A Case Study Committee: Norma Cantu, Supervisor Jim Scheurich Pedro Reyes Michael Thomas V. Ray Cardozier Angela Valenzuela CREATING PUBLIC POLICY FOR MINORITY ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY by Gina Mendez, B.A., M.S.W. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2006 Dedication This case study is dedicated to my son, Steven Michael Sachs, a criminal justice major at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus and to all the students, past and future, who, because of the Downtown Campus’ location, had and have access to a comprehensive public university of the first class. Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge all of the members of my dissertation committee for their assistance with this study. My sincerest thanks to Dr. Norma Cantu, Dr. Jim Scheurich, Dr. Pedro Reyes, Dr. Ray Cardozier, Dr. Michael Thomas, and Dr. Angela Valenzuela for their patience and support. Special thanks to Dr. Jim Scheurich for his guidance and suggestions throughout the process. I would like to thank Dr. Ricardo Romo, UTSA President, and Dr. Jesse Zapata, UTSA Vice Provost for the Downtown Campus, for allowing me the time to conduct this research. I would also like to thank Ms. Anita Zamora and Mr. David Garcia for their assistance throughout the literature search phase of this study. And finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to Ms. Velma Tristan, Ms. Marta Petiton, Ms. Anne Paredes, and Ms. Terre Torres, and Mr. Harold Kiolbassa and to my wonderful family who provided me with the motivation needed to complete this research. v Creating Public Policy for Minority Access To Higher Education: A Case Study Publication No._____________ Gina Mendez, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2006 Supervisor: Norma Cantu It is a well-known fact that one way to a better life is through education. Individuals who have a college education will earn significantly higher income that those who only have a high school diploma (McGlynn, 2001). Having a college degree is not only beneficial to an individual, but a community with an educated work force can acquire significant economic and social benefits. If there is no access to higher education, individuals and the community generally cannot advance as well economically. Individuals living in South Texas did not have the opportunity to improve their socio-economic status because of the lack of public institutions of higher education in their region. The South Texas Region is comprised mostly of a Hispanic population. It has the “state’s least educated population, the state’s poorest facilities, and the least capacity to generate local taxes to improve educational opportunities” (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, 1993). This study explored predisposing conditions such as racism and examined critical elements such as economic and political power in San Antonio, and the dynamics vi that empowered a minority group to take the fight of access to a public university to a higher level. According to the legislators interviewed, the move to create a second UT System campus in downtown San Antonio was a community grassroots effort that had a buy-in from members of the Bexar County delegation. The legislators proposed legislation and followed the bill through the approval process in the Texas House and Texas Senate. Before the bill was approved, a lawsuit had been filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens and the American GI Forum against the Texas governor alleging the State had violated the constitutional rights of Mexican Americans by having unequal access to a comprehensive public university. During a time when tuition has skyrocketed and the cost of gasoline has soared, it is amazing how the adage “Build it and they will come” continues to fulfill the dreams of students who may have never had the opportunity to attend a comprehensive institution of higher education had it not been for the UTSA Downtown Campus. vii Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction to the Study...................................................................1 Overview……………………………………………………….....................1 The Field of Public Policy……………………………. ........................2 Branch Campuses……………………………………...........................4 UT System Components……………………………... .........................4 Historical Accounts of Racism in Higher Education.............................5 Affirmative Action……………………………………….....................7 Conceptual Framework……………………………………….......................8 Statement of the Problem……………………………………......................10 Context of the Problem .................................................................................10 Historical Account of Discrimination in South Texas.........................10 National/State Climate………………………………….....................13 Significance of the Problem……………………………………..................14 Purpose of the Study…………………………………………... ..................15 Research Question…………………………………………….. ..................15 Design of the Study……………………………………………...................16 Limitations of the Study………………………………………....................17 Definition of Terms……………………………………………...................18 Summary………………………………………………………...................20 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...........................................................................22 Overview………………………………………………………...................22 Section One: Public Policy in Higher Education……………......................23 Section Two: Higher Education Systems and Their Branch Campuses………………………… .....................................................28 The State of New York System………………………. ......................29 The University of Michigan System…………………........................31 Florida’s State University System……………………. ......................32 viii California State University and The University of California System……………….................................................................33 Arizona State University System……………………….....................34 New Mexico State University System………………… .....................35 The University of Houston System……………………......................36 The University of Texas System………………………......................37 Definition of Educational Units in Texas……………… ....................38 Section Three: The Historical Development of the UT System Universities……………………………. .............................................39 The Creation of a Public University in South Texas ...........................41 The Law Suit……………………………………………....................44 Section Four: Theoretical Framework………………………… ..................46 Critical Race Theory……………………………………....................47 Gertson’s Triggering Mechanism Theory............................................49 Political Theory…………………………………………....................50 Summary…………………………………………………………...............51 Chapter Three: Research Methodology .................................................................52 Overview…………………………………………………………...............53 The Research Question………………………………………. ...................53 Use of the Qualitative Method…………………………………..................53 The Research Design………………………………………….. ..................55 The Setting………………………………………………...................56 Participant Selection……………………………………....................57 Instrumentation…………………………………………. ...................58 Data Collection…………………………………………....................58 Data Analysis……………………………………………...................60 Trustworthiness Measures…………………………….......................61 Strengths and Limitations of Methodology…………………………..65 Presenting Findings Models…………….…………………………....66 Summary…………………………………………………………...............67 Chapter Four: Research Findings...........................................................................68 ix Overview…………………………………………………………...............68 Research Question…………………………………………….. ..................68 The Results……………………………………………………....................69 Summary ………………………………………………………..................92 Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations ...............................................95 Overview…………………………………………………………...............95 Summary of Findings…………………………………………....................96 Results in Light of the Literature………………………………..................99 Implications for University Leaders………………………….. .................108 Limitations of the Study………………………………………..................110 Recommendations for Future Study………………………… ...................110 Conclusion…………………………………………………….. ................111 x Appendix A: Cover Letter…………………………………….. .........................114 Appendix B: Interview Guide…………………………………..........................115 Appendix C: Members of the Bexar County Delegation of the 73rd Legislative Session………..........................................................................118 Appendix D: Location of UTSA 1604 and the Downtown Campus Map………………………. ........................................................................120 Appendix E: Demolition of Fiesta Plaza (Current location of the Downtown Campus)… ..................................................................................................121 Appendix F: Legislators Attend Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony At Cypress Tower (UTSA