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News

UHS gains ground in funding expansion

Sugar Land campus will grow with new leasing agreements with city officials, junior college

COUGAR NEWS SERVICES

UH System officials and the city of Sugar Land made progress during the winter break in planning an expansion to the UHS at Sugar Land campus. 

Wharton County Junior College plans to lease 100,000 square feet of the new building and the Sugar Land City Council agreed to lease 52 acres of campus land to help fund the $30 million expansion project.

UHS at Sugar Land and WCJC will share the 143,000 square-foot building and officials said the institutions being housed together would benefit students and Sugar Land. 

"It's so exciting," Edward Hugetz, UHS associate vice chancellor for planning and outreach told the Houston Chronicle. "I think universities and cities and community colleges understand that education and work-force development are critical."

WCJC president, Betty McCrohan, said students who transition from junior college to the university will benefit from the proximity of the institutions in the new building.

"A student who goes on campus will be able to seamlessly pursue a four-year degree there," McCrohan told the Chronicle. "This was an excellent opportunity, something we didn't have in Fort Bend County."

Sugar Land has not yet decided what it will do with the land leased in the agreement, but officials said it could be used to build a park.

"Sugar Land is seeing a great deal of growth," Joe Esch, Sugar Land's executive director for business and intergovernmental relations told the Chronicle. "Having access to the university and continuing education programs promotes a well-trained work force, which contributes to the stability of companies within the city."

Additional funding for the expansion will come from the George Foundation, which donated $4 million for the project.

Construction is scheduled to begin Jan. 2007.
 

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