Trying to decide which Texas university should be the next Tier One school is a topic for much heated political debate, but no one will challenge the fact that Texas is in great need of more research universities.

Having only two public and one public premier Tier One universities is insufficient to meet the demands of the brightest students Texas produces.

It is estimated that about 10,000 of Texas' top students each year head to top universities out of state. Not only are they getting education out of state, but many also choose not to return.

The brain drain cannot be allowed to continue. The state needs more top research universities such as the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M and Rice.

How many Tier One universities does Texas need? Doubling the number would still find the state trailing California, which has nine, and New York, which has seven.

Legislation pending in Austin would establish a pathway for seven Texas universities to attain Tier One status. The bills, considered priority legislation in the House and Senate, would set aside $210 million in the budget that the universities would be allowed to tap as they hit certain benchmarks.

The funding would be allotted based on degrees awarded, federal research funding, number of recognized faculty, private dollars raised and community support.

House Higher Education Committee Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, told the Express-News he would hope to have at least one more Tier One university in the state within a decade and at least three others moving in that direction.

Those are lofty goals that can be accomplished only with the financial backing and support from the Legislature. This is an issue where regional politics needs to take a back seat.

Creating more Tier One universities is not just about education and the political clout of one legislative delegation over another; it's also an investment in the economic future of the state.