A panel has been created to explore whether a merger of UTSA and the UT Health and Science Center (UTHSC) would be in the best interest of the two institutions.

The panel will explore areas from operations to payroll software.

The UTHSC was established in 1959, and has had over 26,000 graduates. It is comprised of five schools including a school of health professions, school of nursing, school of medicine, graduate school of biomedical sciences and a dental school.

“It’s something that’s been looked into before,” Matt Flores, assistant director of public affairs for the University of Texas System, said. “Now there’s reason to believe that conditions may have changed to where it might be a more viable option.”

The panel is in the early stages in reviewing the possibility of a merger and will meet periodically to evaluate operations at both institutions. One of the panel’s main objectives is to evaluate the compatibility of the two institutions. Program software compatiability will be one of the many determining factors in deciding if it is feasible for both facilities to work as a whole.

Flores said that another concern that will largely be considered is government funding and what is required to receive those funds, as a merger could change both institutions significantly.

The possibility of merging the two institutions was explored in 2002; however, it was determined at the time that merging the institutions was not in their best interests.

Flores said that the merger is currently being reviewed and thoroughly examined. The panel is expected to submit a review of the results to the Board of Regents no later than June 1.