higher education

Senate Passes TEXAS Grants Priority Model

By Reeve Hamilton and Becca Aaronson April 6, 2011

A bill that would change the system for distributing TEXAS Grants — the state's primary need-based aid program — by creating a new priority system passed the Senate today by a vote of 24-7. Full Story

O'Donnell Elaborates on Research Stance

By Reeve Hamilton April 5, 2011

Much has been made about higher education reformer Rick O'Donnell's opinions on academic research. The controversial UT System adviser recently elaborated on them himself in a letter he wrote to a UT regent. Full Story

Interactive: How Much Texas University Administrators Are Paid

By Ryan Murphy April 5, 2011

How much were Texas public university administrators paid in 2009-10? Check out our visualization, using data generously provided by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Full Story

House Budget Shrinks Spending, Slashes Services

By Brandi Grissom, Reeve Hamilton, Ross Ramsey, Emily Ramshaw, Morgan Smith and Thanh Tan April 3, 2011

The Texas House started with a $164.5 billion budget and ended with the same total. But lawmakers spent the better part of a weekend making changes inside the budget for 2012-13 before giving it their approval, 98 to 49. Full Story

Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, speaks with Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, on the House floor during the budget debate. — Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey April 2, 2011

Tan's wall-to-wall coverage of the budget (with more from the rest of the Trib crew, interviews with some of the freshmen seeing this up close for the first time and a map of how it works), Philpott on the similarities between budget worries in Texas and those elsewhere, M. Smith explains school finance, Ramshaw on the dwindling insurance options for orphans, Grissom on legal fights over the drugs used for state executions, Aguilar on the run-up to the debate over sanctuary cities, Stiles maps the diversity of Texas counties, Galbraith on efforts to recycle plastic bags and Hamilton on calls for "entrepreneurship" at the University of Texas: The best of our best content from March 28 to April 1, 2011. Full Story

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon the Board of Regents

By Reeve Hamilton March 29, 2011

Using the Legislature-directed Invest in Texas campaign as a model, the president of UT's Senate of College Councils intends to begin lobbying the University of Texas System Board of Regents in support of academic research. Full Story

UTSA Prof to Jon Stewart: Obama Right on Libya

By Evan Smith March 29, 2011

Mansour O. El-Kikhia, chair of the political science department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, cited the threat to perhaps 50,000 of his fellow countrymen — including members of his own family. Full Story

Calls for University "Entrepreneurship" at UT, Around the Country

By Reeve Hamilton March 29, 2011

In the face of possible changes, the University of Texas community has taken a strong stance in favor of academic research. But prominent reformers acknowledge that public research universities need to change, and one UT professor thinks he has a way. Full Story

Director of Intellectual Entrepreneurship, Richard Cherwitz, in his home Mar. 23, 2011. — Credit: Callie Richmond

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith March 26, 2011

M. Smith on the continuing controversy over Beaumont's school administrators, Tan on the deepening divide over the consequences of the House budget, Hamilton on the latest in the fight over higher ed accountability, Grissom on young inmates in adult prisons, Aguilar on the voter ID end game, Tan and Hasson's Rainy Day Fund infographic, Ramsey on the coming conflict over school district reserves, M. Smith and Aguilar on Laredo ISD's missing Social Security numbers, Galbraith on environmental regulators bracing for budget cuts and Ramshaw on greater scrutiny of neonatal intensive care units: The best of our best content from March 21 to 25, 2011. Full Story

Research "Extremely Valuable," UT Regents Tell Texas Exes

By Reeve Hamilton March 25, 2011

Responding to a warning by the president of the Texas Exes that an anti-research mindset "would do irreparable damage" to UT-Austin, the UT System's Board of Regents insisted today that research is "extremely valuable." Full Story

John Silber: The TT Interview

By Reeve Hamilton March 25, 2011

The outspoken former UT dean and Boston University president on higher education's past, present and future — including his opinion of U.S. News & World Report rankings, and Howard Zinn and online degree programs. Full Story

John Silber: The TT Interview

By Reeve Hamilton March 25, 2011

The outspoken former UT dean and Boston University president on higher education's past, present and future — including his opinion of U.S. News & World Report's rankings, Howard Zinn and online degree programs. Full Story

UT System Redefines Adviser's Position, Sets End Date

By Reeve Hamilton March 24, 2011

The University of Texas System leadership has officially reassigned controversial new hire, Rick O'Donnell, to a new position — one that will only exist for a matter of months. Full Story

The Weekly TribCast: Episode 72

By Reeve Hamilton March 23, 2011

This week's episode of the TribCast features Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talking mostly about the budget, but also a bit about redistricting and academic research. Full Story

Budget Constraints Pit Teaching Against Research

By Ben Philpott, KUT News March 23, 2011

College students will rally at the Capitol today for higher-education funding. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some students think major changes are also needed on campus, where, they say, professors spend too much time researching and not enough time with undergraduates in the classroom. Full Story

SSNs of Laredo ISD Students Missing In Possible Data Breach

By Morgan Smith and Julián Aguilar March 22, 2011

A disk holding the Social Security numbers of thousands of current and former students in the Laredo Independent School District — a total of 24,903 — has gone missing, according to the Texas Education Agency. Full Story

Lawmakers' Concerns Linger After Changes at UT System

By Reeve Hamilton March 21, 2011

After running a gantlet of concerned legislators, Gene Powell, the chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, took steps last week to assuage concerns over his direction of the system. Full Story

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey March 19, 2011

Grissom on threats to re-entry programs for criminals, Hamilton on the tempest over the direction of UT, E. Smith's interview with Joe Straus, Stiles and Chang's new lobbying app, M. Smith and Weber on where state officeholders send their children to school, Aaronson on allowing new nuclear power plants, Aguilar on how Hispanic Republicans are handling immigration issues, Ramshaw talks abortion with Planned Parennthood's Cecile Richards, Tan and Dehn on tapping the Rainy Day Fund and Galbraith on San Antonio and its water: The best of our best content from March 14 to 18, 2011. Full Story

UT System Reassigns O'Donnell: "We're Listening"

By Reeve Hamilton March 17, 2011

Top officials at the University of Texas System said in an interview Wednesday that they are moving quickly to allay the concerns regarding the direction of UT, starting with the reassignment of Rick O'Donnell. Full Story

Six Degrees of Jeff Sandefer: Reform and Texas Higher Ed

By Reeve Hamilton March 16, 2011

The recent hiring of Rick O’Donnell as a special adviser to the board of regents at the University of Texas System has some observers — worried about the implications for the University of Texas at Austin — playing connect the dots. Full Story