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NEWS
| SEPTEMBER 16, 2005
Arlington
Bid for library placed
UTA assists Arlington in its bid
for the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
By Elaine
Marsilio
The Shorthorn staff
The university could have participated in the UT System bid for
the George W. Bush Presidential Library, but President James Spaniolo
chose to help with the Arlington proposal instead.
“That was the best course for us to follow, and the best fit
for us because I think that the City of Arlington has a very dynamic
and compelling proposal, and we are a big part of it,” he
said.
Institutions bidding for the library had until Thursday to submit
their proposals. Both UT System and the City of Arlington made the
deadline. The Arlington Chamber Foundation submitted the city’s
proposal on behalf of the city and its partners.
Others in the running for the presidential library include Texas
Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor and Southern Methodist universities,
Midland College and the University of Dallas.
Although the UT System unveiled its proposal Wednesday, the Arlington
proposal has yet to be released. Mayor Robert Cluck, who headed
the city’s campaign, would not release a copy of the submitted
proposal. Cluck’s assistant, Jennifer Wichmann, said the city
group does not plan to provide its proposal to anyone.
Spaniolo could not discuss specific details of the proposal, which
is said to highlight the university’s contributions if Arlington
wins the bid.
Spaniolo, who attended a preliminary meeting of the system proposal
committee, said for UTA to participate in both the system and Arlington
bids was not feasible. UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof approved
of the decision and sent a letter Sept. 6 supporting UTA’s
involvement with the city bid.
Michael Warden, assistant vice chancellor for public affairs in
the UT System, said the groups associated with the UT System and
Arlington bids wanted to present the best possible proposals for
the library.
“It is not as much to compete with one another as it is to
compete for the best idea,” he said.
UT System’s proposal includes alternate library locations
for the president to consider and a portion devoted to ideas for
the library’s institute, which will attract scholars and people
from around the world, Warden said.
The additional locations in the UT System proposal consist of an
existing location at UT-San Antonio, a location on the west side
of UT-Dallas, a 20-acre commercial site off of Stemmons Freeway
and a location in downtown Austin on the Brackenridge tract overlooking
the Colorado River and Town Lake.
“We think we bring unmatched, unparalleled experience, background
and expertise to that kind of proposal that no one else in the state
would be able to bring,” he said. “We’re proud
that all our institutions would be a part of that.”
A distinguishing aspect of the Arlington proposal, Spaniolo said,
is that UTA would reach out to students and faculty at other universities
in a community-wide collaborative effort.
Although Spaniolo would prefer that Arlington win the bid, he said
if the UT System obtains the library then UTA will participate in
the effort as a UT institution.
As far as the announcement of the winning bid, Spaniolo said he
does not expect to know until early 2006. President Bush and the
first lady Laura Bush will ultimately decide the library’s
location.
“At this point the ball is in the court of those working with
the president,” Spaniolo said. “They can decide what
the next steps are.”
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