Winstead's Dan Branch: How Solutions-Oriented Leadership Resulted in a Big Win for Texas Higher Education

In an opinion editorial written by Winstead shareholder Dan Branch, he discusses the positive results that can be achieved when generous individuals, innovative academic leaders and effective lawmakers combine forces.  His article highlights the latest Carnegie Tier One recognition for the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Tech University, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas schools that have joined UT-Austin, University of Houston, Texas A&M and Rice on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education list of schools with the “Highest Research Activity.” 

The rankings, updated every five years, listed 115 universities in the top category.  This is a major achievement since the 115 schools on the list stand out among some 2,500 universities in the nation.  Dan is a former Texas State Representative from Dallas who chaired the Texas House Higher Education Committee from 2009 to 2015.  In 2009, Dan authored House Bill 51, the “Tier-One” Bill passed by the Legislature, which created multiple new funding streams focused on encouraging more research and higher standards at a number of Texas public universities, in an effort to raise the stature of those universities to a top-tier designation.  With the latest results from The Carnegie Classification, Texas has now doubled the number of schools receiving a “Tier-One” ranking from four to eight.  Click here to read the full op-ed that ran in the Dallas Morning News.