Governor Rick Perry signed HB 1056 in Victoria on August 6th at 2:00 pm at a ceremony at the University of Houston - Victoria Multi-purpose Room on the UHV Campus located at 3007 N. Ben Wilson. 

HB 1056 will allow the University of Houston - Victoria to admit freshman and sophomore students.  Presently, the university only accepts juniors, seniors and graduate students.  UHV was one of the last remaining universities in the country to cap it's enrollment with upper division students.  The passage of the bill will allow UHV to work toward becoming a destination school for south Texas. 

UHV was founded in Victoria in 1973 as a teaching center and extension of the UH System to add in the educational attainment of students in South Texas.  The university has seen over 10,000 degrees awarded to graduating students.  Known as a university that is willing to be cutting edge.  UHV has been a leader in distance learning with universities traveling from Spain and China to adopt their methods.

Perry's visit and bill signing successfully capped a long journy for the university and the community.  "Community support has been overwhelming for the 'downward expansion'", stated Randy Vivian, President/CEO of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce.  Vivian said, "We, as a community, have work hard to bring this dream to a successful conclusion and now it's time to celebrate."