| UNT deserves upgraded status, Crownover says 01/18/2001 By Annette Fuller / The Dallas Morning News LEWISVILLE – It's time for the University of North Texas to become one of the state's flagship universities, said State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, a freshman representative for District 64, encompassing much of Denton County.
"Two flagships (University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M] are not near enough for a state as large as Texas," said Mrs. Crownover. "It's time to take UNT to the next level. I think it's very doable."
She believes that the state ought to put its money behind five flagships: the original two and the University of North Texas, Texas Tech University and the University of Houston.
"We have a wonderful school in place," she said. "The location is right, in North Texas' telecommunications corridor. The whole North Texas area wins when UNT takes a step up."
Mrs. Crownover's advocacy of UNT is just one of the issues she plans to push as a legislator. Now holding the District 64 seat formerly held by her late husband, Dr. Ronny Crownover, she is eager to get to know her way around the House and promote the causes close to the hearts of her constituents.
She is so determined to be an advocate for UNT that even if she is not named to the higher education committee as she has requested (she is aware that freshmen representatives often don't get their first choices), she will sit in on those committee meetings anyway.
"Over the years, I will acquire the knowledge that will allow me to effectively present my case," she said.
She also sees transportation as a key issue for Denton County. The county has seen huge growth in the last several years, and major streets and highways stay busy and clogged. Changes need to be made in the way transportation issues are handled by the Texas Department of Transportation, which oversees state highways and farm-to-market roads, she said.
"TxDOT was set up when Texas was a more stable, rural state," she said.
"With this fast growth we're having, the agency needs to change with the times. We have to make TxDOT more responsive," she said, referring to the years-long waiting times for much-needed roads to be built or expanded.
Denton County can no longer avoid its responsibility to help clean up the air in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she said.
The area is in noncompliance with federal standards for ozone emissions, and if changes are not made, the area risks sanctions, including losing federal dollars for highways.
"We've got to do it in the smartest, least painful way possible," she said. For example, perhaps gas formulas could be changed, and schools could hold off their first day until after Labor Day, when the August heat is over, she said.
She also hopes to address the needs of fast-growth school districts, such as Lewisville's, so that the state allows some changes in funding formulas for schools experiencing a huge influx of students.
She encourages residents in her district to send letters to state Rep. Myra Crownover, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX, 78768-2910. Her district office is 1165 S. Stemmons, Suite 108, Lewisville, TX 75067.
Staff writer Annette Fuller can be reached at 940-243-0614 and at .
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