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Updated 7:27 AM on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Universities plan study of border

Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona is part of a consortium that will create new links between experts in myriad areas to examine and resolve challenges in border security, immigration and trade.

The nine-university consortium was announced Monday at a conference on technologies for border security, defense and commerce in Tucson.

"The consortium is a response to the issues that face us as a nation and challenges on our border," said Bruce Wright, the UA's associate vice president for economic development. "We believe this is a very powerful group of universities applying their expertise and technologies to issues of the border."

Joining the UA in the Southwest Border Security Consortium are Arizona State University, San Diego State University, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, New Mexico State University, the University of New Mexico, Texas A&M Engineering, the University of Texas-El Paso and the University of Texas-San Antonio.

Neutral politically, the universities are in a unique position to work on solutions, according to Wright.

The universities - all public and all in cities with large Hispanic populations heavily impacted by the border - began talking about forming an alliance about a year ago.

Three of the universities - New Mexico State, UTEP and UTSA - are designated as Hispanic-serving institutions.

The consortium partners have a shared vision of being a national asset, taking the lead in identifying specific border-related problems and providing solutions.

"What we hope to achieve with the consortium is to provide a one-stop shop for research. Our goal is to become a national resource," said Bob Welty, director of homeland security projects at San Diego State. "The access to one group of people like this is unheard of in the nation, especially as it relates to border security."

Each university is already conducting border-related research with a variety of grants, but Wright hopes the institutions can come together for joint projects that will draw new federal funds.

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