I would say her info is outdated. It definitely was a “suitcase school” a generation ago, but the school has really invested a lot in campus resources, housing etc. to attract students who want a strong campus culture. One of the ways they do this is by bringing in strong OOS students with their National Merit full rides. One of my son’s good friends from high school is there on NMF full ride, and she is thriving. She has made a ton of friends in the honors college from all over the country. The dorms are great, Dallas is a cool city with lots of arts and cultural opportunities, and there are a lot of fun clubs on campus.
For the right person, UT-Dallas has great school spirit! Not in a rah-rah Big Sports or Big Greek way, but rather in a “We are smart and nerdy and love our school” way. Their astronomy and astrophysics is part of their physics department. Their mascot is a Comet. They are super strong in just about anything STEM, and offer a music minor.
Also University of Tulsa is a terrific small private university (~3,000 undergrads, 4,000 students total.) Tulsa is a young, fun and hip city. I have a number of friends from all over the country who live there and love it. Strong in multiple departments. The school is making a huge push to attract even more NMFs, so they really treat their NMFs well.