College-bound Uvalde students grapple with leaving a hometown in mourning
The students worry how the tragedy will define them in their new environments and struggle with guilt about the people they’re leaving behind. Full Story
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Kate McGee covers higher education for The Texas Tribune. She joined the Tribune in October 2020 after nearly a decade as a reporter at public radio stations across the country, including in Chicago, Washington D.C., Austin, Reno, Nev. and New York. Kate was born in New York City and primarily raised in New Jersey. She earned her bachelor's degree from Fordham University. Her work has appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, and The Takeaway. She is based in Austin.
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![From left: Jaime Cruz and Ariana Diaz stand under a live oak tree growing in the middle of the street in Uvalde on Aug. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan could lower debt for more than half of Texas college graduates
People earning $125,000 or less will see $10,000 eliminated from their student loan debt. People in that group who received federal Pell Grants will see $20,000 in debt eliminated, a move intended to help low-income borrowers. Full Story
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![U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks after the the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision, at the White House in Washington, U.S., on June 24, 2022.]()
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Stephen F. Austin State University considers joining a university system
Four systems have expressed informal interest in an affiliation with the East Texas school. Full Story
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![Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.]()
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Texas A&M faculty leaders say President Kathy Banks is leaving them out of major decisions
Faculty members say Banks could have been more communicative and transparent about a variety of organizational changes she put in motion during her first year as president. Full Story
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![Texas A&M University President M. Katherine Banks at the Zachry Engineering Education Complex in College Station on March 30, 2021.]()
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As monkeypox spreads, health experts urge Texas universities to prepare for outbreaks
While the risk of exposure to monkeypox remains low, health experts say college students living in close proximity to each other could spur outbreaks. They encourage schools to share their plans and relevant information about the virus. Full Story
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![A woman holds a syringe with a dose of the Monkeypox vaccine at the Edison municipal vaccination centre in Paris, France on July 27, 2022.]()
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Former employee accuses Collin College of racial discrimination in fourth recent lawsuit against the school
Swee Lian Wee claims she was denied a promotion based on race and that school leaders created a hostile work environment. Full Story
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![The Collin Higher Education Center in McKinney.]()
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UT-Dallas is investigating a professor’s homophobic tweet with misinformation about monkeypox
LGBTQ students want the university to take “substantive action” against the computer science professor for his tweet, which included misinformation about how the monkeypox virus spreads. Full Story
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![The UT Dallas Spirit Rock is painted in rainbow colors with a message reading "Here to Stay!" as UTD students use chalk to create messages and art in support of LGBTQ+ students, outside the Activity Center on campus, on July 18, 2022 in Richardson.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas universities grapple with how to provide reproductive health care information to students amid new abortion laws
The changing legal landscape is raising questions for public colleges about how to talk to students about reproductive health care options and creating hesitancy among students about whether they can trust their universities’ health centers. Full Story
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![Nikita Kakkad holds a box of emergency contraception supplies that she delivers to anonymous students on campus as requested. July 15, 2022.]()
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Former UT-Brownsville President Juliet García to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
García served as the president of the University of Texas at Brownsville until it merged with the University of Texas-Pan American to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the first Mexican American woman to lead a college or university in the United States. Full Story
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![Then-UT Brownsville President Juliet García attended the University of Texas System Board of Regents meeting Aug. 21, 2013.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas safety officials will begin “random intruder detection audits” of schools in September
Texas School Safety Center officials said they will alert districts and local law enforcement of the audits, where trained staff will try to find access points into school buildings. But school campuses will not be informed ahead of time. Full Story
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![Diagrams of doors used by the shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde are used during the testimony of DPS Director Steven McCraw before the Senate Committee to Protect all Texans at the Capitol on Jun. 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune