GOVERNMENT
San Antonio has a council/manager form of city government. The city council is composed of ten members elected by districts and a mayor elected at large. All serve two-year terms. The council sets policies of the city and hires a city manager to serve as chief administrative officer.

Bexar County is governed by a four-member county commission presided over by a county judge. Within the area are 22 suburban cities and special districts created for water and sewer service and flood control.

EDUCATION
Six universities, four colleges, over 70 private schools and a public school system composed of 16 independent school districts are located in San Antonio. Within the public school system, 16 innovative magnet high schools have been established to offer specialized education in the fields of business, health care, science, engineering, law, communications and the fine arts, and international studies.

San Antonio universities have been enjoying national attention recently. U.S. News and World Report ranked Trinity University first in quality for the seventh consecutive time among western regional universities, and in 1998 it ranked St. Mary's University thirteenth as best value for universities in the West.

The University of Texas Health Science Center's dental school was ranked number one in the nation in 1996 by U.S. News and World Report. UTHSC is located on a 100-acre campus within the South Texas Medical Center complex. The Health Science Center, the leading biomedical institution in the UT system as well as in Central and South Texas, received over $115 million in research contracts and training funds in 1998.

New educational programs in San Antonio includes semiconductor operator training at Northwest Vista College, and a doctoral program in computer science offered by the University of Texas at San Antonio. Other area universities offer established programs at the graduate and undergraduate level in fields such as business, engineering, science and law.