IMPORTANT: Click here to view the planning document for the new Texas A&M - San Antonio.The arguments presented in the link above are also applicable towards establishing PSU and AzTech.
Raleigh-Durham also has North Carolina Central University, Houston has University of Houston and Texas Southern University, Greater Atlanta has Kennesaw State University, and Greater Denver has University of Colorado and Metro State University.
Consider the following facts between San Antonio and Phoenix, as referenced from the link above:
(1) UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) is a doctoral university analogous to ASU, but with a smaller research budget and lower enrollment size.
(2) UTSA recently built a new downtown campus in downtown San Antonio, analogous to ASU's new downtown campus in downtown Phoenix.
(3) UTHSC (University of Texas Health Sciences Center) has a location in San Antonio; similiarly, the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center has a location in Phoenix.
(4) The 25 to 30 mile distance between ASU Tempe and its branch campuses (ASU West and Polytechnic) is about the same as the distance between UTSA and Texas A&M - San Antonio.
(5) The Westside of Phoenix and the West Valley both are underserved in higher education, economically disadvantaged, and have larger Hispanic populations compared to both East Phoenix and the East Valley. Metro Phoenix also has large Native American populations.
(6) PSU and AzTech are conversions of existing university branch campuses (ASU West & Polytechnic), whereas Texas A&M - San Antonio and UNT at Dallas are built from scratch.
(7) ASU West already has a FTE student enrollment of 6000+ which is much higher than the 1000+ FTE threshold Texas used to establish Texas A&M - San Antonio and UNT at Dallas.
(8) Phoenix is the 6th largest city whereas San Antonio & Dallas are the 7th & 9th largest.
(9) Phoenix's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population of 4.4 million is already double that of San Antonio's MSA of 2.2 million. Furthermore, the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale MSA is the 12th largest in the nation, thereby resulting in Arizona being a heavily urbanized state.
Notice the many similarities between Phoenix and San Antonio as mentioned above? PSU and AzTech will result in a stronger impact for Greater Phoenix and the State of Arizona.
