Texas Tech took center stage at the State Capitol Wednesday as lawmakers declared it ‘Texas Tech University System Day.’

About 100 people traveled to Austin to represent the four components of Tech: Texas Tech, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University and the Health Sciences Center in El Paso.

The team of Tech supporters used a divide and conquer strategy to make the most of its special day.

Students, alumni, and university leaders went to the offices of every single state lawmaker to hand deliver gifts to more than 180 legislators.

The personalized boxes contained prime rib steaks from Raider Red’s in Lubbock, fillets from Tech’s meat lab in San Angelo and talking points to open up discussions about higher education funding.

“We want to continue that investment and make sure we do no harm, especially as it relates to higher education,” said Robert Duncan, Tech University System Chancellor.

Texas Tech aims to do more with the same amount of money from the state.

A former state senator, Duncan said a “very good outcome for higher education” would be if lawmakers “maintain status quo” and the state does not cut higher education funding.

“What we don’t want to do is move backwards because when we move backwards we lose faculty, we start losing our best students to go to other states or private schools around the country.”

Duncan said Tech does not want the state’s “best and brightest” to look outside the Tech system or all of Texas for colleges and universities.

“We can provide the best education for them here and keep them as Texans in the long run, so that ought to be our goal from a legislative perspective,” said Duncan.

The leaders of the Texas House and Senate committees on higher education met with Tech supporters Wednesday morning.

“It’s also a chance to brag about all the great things going on in the Texas Tech University system and at Texas Tech in particular,” said Lawrence Schovanec, Texas Tech President.

With more than 12 campuses in Texas and more than 51,000 students, Tech’s academic institutions boast a $2 billion a year enterprise.

“The contributions of these institutions are outstanding,” said State Rep. John Frullo, R-Lubbock.

A Texas Tech alum, State Rep. Dustin Burrows said the university “has gone on to reshape the face of West Texas, the entire state, the country and the world,” Burrows said. “I couldn’t be prouder of my university, my alma mater, guns up,” he added.

Several Texas Senators spoke out in support of the Texas Tech University System and their former colleague, Chancellor Duncan.

State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, said, “Without Texas Tech University, there would be 100 or more counties without access to healthcare.”

Duncan said the Texas legislature invested big in higher education in 2015 and this session and this year, colleges and universities will have to pick their battles for money because of the state’s tight budget.

Texas faces a $7 billion shortfall this biennium.

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents voted last week to push pause on plans for a new veterinary school in Amarillo.

“We believe there’s a need, we believe Texas Tech has come up with an innovative model,” but Duncan said timing is everything in politics. “And timing right now is not favorable for us at this stage,” Duncan said.

He added the board plans to try to get state funding for a new veterinary school in the 2019 legislative session.

“This is the investment for the future of Texas,” said Duncan. “The economic wellbeing of Texas is going to be determined by how well we educate our young people.”