Three UT Professors Sue to Block Campus Carry
Three University of Texas at Austin professors sued their university and the state on Wednesday, claiming that Texas' new campus carry law is unconstitutional. Full Story
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Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public schools and graduated from Texas A&M University. He’s spent nearly two decades in Texas journalism, and previously worked at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined the Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. As a managing editor, Matthew has guided the Tribune’s award-winning journalism and other reporting of statewide significance, including coverage of elections and legislative sessions to major breaking news and ambitious storytelling about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas-Mexico border, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, the impeachment of Texas attorney general and battles over public education. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
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![Stephanie Odam of Austin marches in a campus carry protest in Austin, Jan 8, 2015.]()
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Houston Law Schools in Fight Over Names
The University of Houston sued the erstwhile South Texas College of Law for trademark infringement on Monday for changing its name to the Houston College of Law. Full Story
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Supreme Court Ruling Could Spur Changes to Top 10 Percent Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court may have upheld UT-Austin's use of race in admissions, but the battle over the issue is just getting started. Thursday's ruling could pave the way for scaling back the controversial Top 10 Percent Rule in the state. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on the left, and the University of Texas tower on the right.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court Upholds UT-Austin's Affirmative Action System
In a major — and surprising — win for affirmative action supporters, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s right to give a slight boost to black and Hispanic applicants. Full Story
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![Abigail Fisher, right, plaintiff in Fisher v. University of Texas, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court with Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation after oral arguments in the case, in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 2015.]()
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At A&M, Diversity Increases Without Affirmative Action
Texas A&M University sparked outrage when it decided in 2003 not to use affirmative action in its admissions process. But since then, the school's black and Hispanic population has grown faster than that of the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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![Students on Texas A&M University's campus on Nov. 11, 2015.]()
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In Filing, Briles Accuses Baylor of Scapegoating Him in Sexual Assault Scandal
Former Baylor University head football coach Art Briles is fighting back against his sudden dismissal, arguing that he was wrongfully terminated and is being used as a scapegoat for the sexual assault scandal that has shamed the school. Full Story
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![Baylor University football head coach Art Briles speaks at a press conference on the Baylor campus on Sept. 6, 2014.]()
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Provost Selected as Texas Tech's Next President
Texas Tech University has selected its current provost, Lawrence Schovanec, to be the school's next president. Schovanec has been an administrator at Tech for three decades. Full Story
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![Lawrence Schovanec has been selected as the next president of Texas Tech University.]()
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University of Houston Settles Lawsuit Over Basketball Arena Name
The University of Houston has agreed to resolve a legal fight over its basketball arena, currently named after former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz, by erecting a statue of and renaming a street after the deceased school booster. Full Story
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Texas Colleges Staying Out of Bathroom Battles
The state's colleges and universities have been largely been left out of the debate over transgender bathroom policies. Over the past decade, most have adopted policies friendlier to transgender students and staff. Full Story
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![Protesters at a press conference held by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in May, 2016 calling on Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Kent Scribner to resign over the district's bathroom guidelines for transgender students.]()
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UT System Institutes "Soft" Hiring Freeze, Considers Layoffs
As part of what Chancellor Bill McRaven is calling an "organizational assessment," the University of Texas System has implemented a "soft" hiring freeze and is considering layoffs, according to a memo obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![A look at the sun setting over the University of Texas at Austin Tower in 2011.]()
Credit: Illustration by Nicolas Raymond / Todd Wiseman