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The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.

  • The Tracks of Our Tiers

    By Reeve Hamilton

    It could take years before the seven emerging research universities in Texas (Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas at El Paso) transform themselves into top-tier research campuses — if they do at all. But the state now pays them for demonstrated progress toward that goal, pitting them against one another in competition for limited funds. Officials from all seven will appear before a joint hearing of the House and Senate higher education committees today, seeking to show off progress to lawmakers and to size up where they stand against their peers. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Stiles on Bill White's donor-appointees, M. Smith on a form of meritless lawsuit that's still legal in Texas, Ramshaw on what federal health care reform means for the future of physician-owned specialty hospitals, Galbraith's interview with the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Philpott on the latest flap over federal education funding, Grissom on the finally-in-compliance Dallas County Jail, Titus on the oiled pelicans of the BP spill, Hamilton's interview with the new chancellor of the Texas State University System, Ramsey on the political and legal definitions of residency, Hu on Barack Obama's visit to Austin and Aguilar on what the U.S. could be doing to aid Mexico: The best of our best from August 9 to 13, 2010. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Doctors-in-Residence

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Lawmakers must fund more in-state medical residency slots if Texas wants to ward off a looming physician shortage, the presidents of the six University of Texas medical centers told the UT System Board of Regents on Wednesday. Full Story 

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  • Brian McCall: The TT Interview

    By Reeve Hamilton

    The longtime House member from Plano and newly installed chancellor of the Texas State University System (sorry, Sen. Wentworth) talked to the Tribune on Thursday about why he took the job, the importance of Hispanic outreach, the case against cutting the state's higher ed budget, the trouble with the Legislature and what a good governor shouldn't do. Full Story 

    Chancellor Brian McCall of the Texas State University System speaks with Tribune reporter Reeve Hamilton on Aug. 5, 2010.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • Obamarama

    By Elise Hu

    In his first trip to the Texas capital as president, Barack Obama served up little news but plenty of red meat for supporters. Check out our pool report from his fundraiser and our audio, video and slideshow of his UT-Austin speech. Full Story 

    President Obama at the University of Texas on Monday, August 9, 2010.
    Credit: Spencer Selvidge

  • Obama Talks Higher Ed

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    President Obama wrapped up a trip to Austin this afternoon with a speech on higher education on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

    President Obama give "Hook'Em" sign before speech at UT-Austin.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • Learnstrong

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Can a $3 million marketing campaign to promote higher education change the culture of a country-sized state in which just 27 percent of the population has a college degree or certificate? It worked for cancer ... Full Story 

    "Generation TX" stickers
    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • A Court Date for Hopwood 2.0

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    A panel of federal judges will hear arguments today for and against the University of Texas at Austin’s race-based admissions system, which the school has used for decades as part of what its "holistic" admissions program. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Minding the Gaps

    By Reeve Hamilton

    With two-thirds now over, it’s time to check in on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 10-years old, 15-year initiative to close the gaps between Texas and other states in student achievement in higher education. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: The 51st State

    How can Texas rank last in the nation — 51st — in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas, and simultaneously rank 22nd in the percentage attending at least some college? Full Story 

    Brookings Institute Mapped Educational attainment nationwide. Texas ranks last — 51st — in the percentage of adults with high school diploma, largely due to rapid immigration growth. The state ranks significantly higher on college attainment.
    Credit: Brookings Institute

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Ramshaw's question about an insurance company denying coverage for an infant vaccine prompts a reversal; Stiles' new app lets you poke through mid-year campaign reports on donations and spending; Ramsey finds foreshadowing of the state's big fall races in the campaign finance reports; Aguilar interviews Henry Cisneros about current politics; Dawson finds Texas environmentalists getting advice from an unexpected place; Galbraith on "demand response" that might cut the need for power plants and on the next wave of electric cars; Aguilar on increasing trade through Texas ports of entry; M. Smith on affirmative action battles in higher education; Titus on Mexican college students' drift from border universities to UT-Austin and Texas A&M; and Hamilton on controversy over private, for-profit colleges: The best of our best for the week of July 19 to 23, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • TribBlog: Storming the Tower

    By Sarah Adler

    A group of environmental advocates is planning a protest on the UT campus tomorrow afternoon to express their displeasure with new tower-shaped plastic bottles. Full Story 

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    Credit: http://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/07/19/h2orange_water/

  • Hopwood 2.0

    By Morgan Smith

    A court case involving two University of Texas applicants who believe they were denied admission because they're white threatens to reinvigorate an ideological skirmish that peaked in the late 1990s. The first lawsuit of its kind brought against a university since a pair of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2003, Fisher v. Texas has observers everywhere wondering if the state's troubled history with race-based admissions makes it the ideal incubator for the next round of affirmative action battles. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The "Career" Path

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Private, for-profit colleges, which offer professional certificates at a steep cost, have come under fire for peddling big student loans to vulnerable Texans in exchange for credentials of dubious value. Full Story 

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  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Grissom's three-part series (here, here and here) on prosperity and peril along the U.S.-Mexico border, Hu on the Division of Workers' Compensation audit report, Stiles puts more than 3,000 personal disclosure forms filed by politicians, candidates and state officials online, M. Smith on attempts to curb the practice of barratry (better known as ambulance chasing), Ramsey interviews the chair of the Texas Libertarian Party, Hamilton on attempts to improve the success rates of community colleges, Galbraith on whether electric deregulation has helped or hurt Texans, Aguilar talks to a chronicler of the bloody narco-wars and Ramshaw on doctors who most often prescribe antipsychotic drugs to the state's neediest patients: The best of our best from July 12 to 16, 2010. Full Story 

    The best of our best from the week of July 12th.