The Victoria College, 1925-2000: A Tradition of Excellence

stands may weaken one of them (referring to
UHV).” He further remarked, “It will be up to
the people of Victoria if they want the college
and university to merge.” 81
Less than two weeks passed after the interim
chancellor’s news conference when Bing
received a memo from the Select Committee on
Higher Education asking for a response to its
suggestion that the two schools unite. The committee
was charged with recommending ways
the state could streamline and reorganize public
colleges and universities. One of the options
that developed from the committee was the
merger of Victoria College and the University of
Houston-Victoria. Another option was to convert
UHV into a branch learning center. Bing’s
immediate reaction to the memo was to call for
a special meeting of the board members, a group
that was not a proponent of merger. Influential
trustee Thomas M. O’Connor commented, “I
don’t think a change is necessary. We want a
strong junior college and a strong university.”
Catherine McHaney concurred. She said, “I feel
what we have is the best.” Trustee Ron Walker
proposed that an assessment be made as to how
any modification in higher education would
affect Victoria and the college. He was concerned
that any alterations, especially if UHV
was converted to a branch learning center,
“would change the delivery of higher education
in Victoria.” 82
After deliberating the issue, the board drafted
a letter to the state committee that carried
the signatures of Winston L. Zirjacks, board
president, and Bing. Reacting to Walker’s recommendation
of considering higher education
in Victoria as a whole, the missive rejected the
committee’s suggested option of converting
UHV into a branch study center, stating, “We
think that it would be detrimental to the best
interest of the University of Houston-Victoria
because it would lessen its credibility and
would lessen its public esteem and materially
effect enrollment.” Moreover, the board rejected
the merger option, noting, “We recommend no
change in the current structure.” Five reasons
were given for the latter position. The board
listed among its explanations that the instruction
at the community college was less costly
than a four-year institution, the college has an
open door policy which allows more students
to enroll and advance their education, and
merger might lead to the elimination of allied
health programs which would deprive commu-
✯
Sweating to the “oldies.”
170 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000