Our meeting provided a welcome opportunity to discuss a matter that is vital to the community of Victoria and to those of us involved with higher education in this area. There has been considerable interest lately in exploring whether the University of Houston-Victoria should be expanded into a four-year institution. As our discussion today confirmed, this is a complicated subject, but one that is worthy of careful and thorough consideration. Neither The Victoria College nor the University of Houston System wants to take any action that would jeopardize the long and productive relationship that has existed between these two institutions. So, it is our mutual goal to determine what is in the best interests of both parties as we strengthen the model for delivering higher education to Victoria and the surrounding communities. Clearly, there are many civic, economic, demographic, administrative and academic factors that must be accurately ascertained before any determination can be made. We believe that an independent study, initiated by appropriate representatives from the community and from the two institutions, would be a logical next step to undertake.