Regents give funding authorizations for $263 million in UTHSC projects

San Antonio (Aug. 11, 2006) – Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, said in a university-wide e-mail Aug. 11 that The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ approval of $263 million in capital and other projects for the Health Science Center, along with more than $100 million for The University of Texas at San Antonio, has made this “a red-letter day that should be celebrated and remembered.”

“What a great day for the Health Science Center, UTSA, San Antonio and South Texas,” President Cigarroa said. “This week’s milestone is the result of the collective efforts of our educators, clinicians, researchers, students and staff in addressing the most pressing issues we all face. Thank you for working so diligently every day to support the Health Science Center’s missions.”

The authorizations are part of a $2.5 billion science, technology, engineering and medicine competitiveness package approved by the Board of Regents on Aug. 10.

The Health Science Center plans to build a $150 million South Texas Research Facility near its North Campus on Floyd Curl Drive. The building will provide 250,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratories to expand the space needed for the Health Science Center’s growing research enterprise. The Board of Regents authorized $40 million in Permanent University Fund allocations for that project, to augment $60 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds recently approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry in a July 11 ceremony at the Health Science Center.

“We greatly appreciate our local and state legislative delegations’ support,” President Cigarroa said. “We will raise an additional $50 million for the South Texas Research Facility from private donations.”

This week’s announcement also included Board of Regents approval for expenditures of $95 million from institutional funds for the Health Science Center’s new Medical Arts and Research Center, to be built near the North Campus.

The Board also gave authorizations totaling $18 million for various projects, including a new cyclotron at the Health Science Center’s Research Imaging Center, campus fire and life safety upgrades, and ongoing work at the Health Science Center’s Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library.

“The good news that we received this week shows that working together with UTSA, we are raising San Antonio to the highest levels of bioscience in this nation,” President Cigarroa said.

He added: “The Legislature and the Board of Regents have shown great pride in the Health Science Center’s accomplishments and trust in our future, and we know that when our community and region hear the message about this $263 million in funding authorizations, there will be even more resounding cheers from those quarters.”



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