University of Houston supporters are resisting what some call an "invasion" by one of the state's flagship universities.

They may need to brace for another.

Texas A&M University may follow the University of Texas in expanding in Houston, A&M President Michael Young suggested Friday.

"We're in the midst of thinking through this strategic plan of how do we best serve the state," Young told the Houston Chronicle editorial board in response to a question about a possible Houston presence. "Stay tuned."

UT angered UH officials and some state lawmakers when it announced last year that it was buying 300 acres in Houston, where it planned to develop an "intellectual hub." The announcement hit a nerve among UH boosters, who have long believed that UT gets a disproportionate share of state funds and wants to keep UH in its place.

UT started buying the land before asking permission from the state's higher education coordinating board or lawmakers. State Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat and UH graduate, has predicted A&M would follow UT in taking advantage of what the nation's fourth-largest city has to offer.

UT Chancellor William McRaven, meanwhile, has stressed that UT has simply bought the land. Plans for its development will be created by a group of Houstonians, and McRaven said he wants to open the land for collaboration with UH and other Houston schools.

Young, who joked that he is "just absolutely shocked that Houston's unhappy," said Friday that he's surprised by the outrage.

"I guess I'm a little confused about the spat at the moment, because I don't know that UT has really said what they're going to do," Young said. "So far it's a land deal, and I must say an amusing one, because I didn't know you announced you were going to buy property before you actually bought it."

Much of the spat centers on what many believe is an unfair edge that UT and A&M have over other state schools. Only the UT and A&M systems have access to a rich state investment fund, the Permanent University Fund, which sends millions to both schools.

UT is using money from this fund to buy the Houston land.

The move has renewed calls to open the fund up to Texas' other public university systems - a long shot that would require an amendment to the state Constitution, which means the bill would have to be approved by two-thirds of the members in both legislative chambers and a majority of voters.

UT, A&M, and their alumni and supporters in the Legislature and across the state would likely oppose the move.

"It's a terrible idea," Young told the editorial board. "The question is, do you spread it around or do you target it in a more thoughtful, intentional way to get the most significant result?"