Trace it back, and you find the starting place in Richardson, on the campus of UT-Dallas, in the president's office, in the studious mind of David E. Daniel.

The upshot is that today, UTD and six other emerging research universities across Texas have an invigorated competition for new state money. The most successful ones will have a better crack at building a research institution that ranks someday among the nation's elite.

Getting UTD onto that list sat atop Daniel's agenda when he took the president's job in 2005, leaving the post of engineering dean at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was a homecoming of sorts. Daniel had received his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. at the University of Texas.

Now, Austin again was central to his goals. The Legislature, never generous to higher education, had to be shown the merits of what academia can produce – breakthrough research, entrepreneurs, outside investors, spinoff jobs. If persuaded by all that, lawmakers needed a strategic way to write checks on the taxpayer's bank account.

Enter the elegant idea: Don't just hand out money. Make universities earn it. Reward them for their success in attracting outside grants and gifts for research. Make them show results in awarding doctorates and attracting top students.

Daniel privately gave the plan little chance, no more than 5 percent, he says now, looking back.

Easily blending in with the background of a crowd, Daniel never looked like a guy who was itching for legislative ice hockey. But the data-driven civil engineer kept popping up in Austin – with 24 trips overall this year – and his understated, reasoned presentations began to win converts.

An early and crucial ally was Dallas Rep. Dan Branch, who became a prime champion and later scored big money. Daniel reached out to other university presidents, whose initial response "varied from enthusiasm to cautious interest," he said. Ultimately, they presented a united front. Especially significant were James Spaniolo of UT-Arlington and Gretchen Bataille of the University of North Texas; agreement among the sometime-rival North Texas schools made an impression.

The rallying cry was for more nationally recognized, Tier One research schools – an area where Texas has been a national laggard, not a leader.

Momentum built into enactment of legislation that was remarkably similar to the idea hatched in the UTD president's office.

For his bright idea, pluck and dedication to building a better state, we salute David Daniel as a finalist for 2009 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year. Trace it back, and you find the starting place in Richardson, on the campus of UT-Dallas, in the president's office, in the studious mind of David E. Daniel.

The upshot is that today, UTD and six other emerging research universities across Texas have an invigorated competition for new state money. The most successful ones will have a better crack at building a research institution that ranks someday among the nation's elite.

Getting UTD onto that list sat atop Daniel's agenda when he took the president's job in 2005, leaving the post of engineering dean at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was a homecoming of sorts. Daniel had received his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. at the University of Texas.

Now, Austin again was central to his goals. The Legislature, never generous to higher education, had to be shown the merits of what academia can produce – breakthrough research, entrepreneurs, outside investors, spinoff jobs. If persuaded by all that, lawmakers needed a strategic way to write checks on the taxpayer's bank account.

Enter the elegant idea: Don't just hand out money. Make universities earn it. Reward them for their success in attracting outside grants and gifts for research. Make them show results in awarding doctorates and attracting top students.

Daniel privately gave the plan little chance, no more than 5 percent, he says now, looking back.

Easily blending in with the background of a crowd, Daniel never looked like a guy who was itching for legislative ice hockey. But the data-driven civil engineer kept popping up in Austin – with 24 trips overall this year – and his understated, reasoned presentations began to win converts.

An early and crucial ally was Dallas Rep. Dan Branch, who became a prime champion and later scored big money. Daniel reached out to other university presidents, whose initial response "varied from enthusiasm to cautious interest," he said. Ultimately, they presented a united front. Especially significant were James Spaniolo of UT-Arlington and Gretchen Bataille of the University of North Texas; agreement among the sometime-rival North Texas schools made an impression.

The rallying cry was for more nationally recognized, Tier One research schools – an area where Texas has been a national laggard, not a leader

Momentum built into enactment of legislation that was remarkably similar to the idea hatched in the UTD president's office.

For his bright idea, pluck and dedication to building a better state, we salute David Daniel as a finalist for 2009 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.