The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas State Employees Union presented a petition that condemns the upcoming return to campus in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as harmful. Classes start Wednesday. Full Story
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Some faculty members call the pressure to return to face-to-face instruction a callous decision that prioritizes money and the college experience over the safety of the university community. Full Story
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The school allowed up to 675 students into its indoor Johnson Coliseum to watch comedian Tiffany Haddish on the first day of classes. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Ross, Alex and Raga about college football this fall and what Kamala Harris means for Texas Democrats in November. Full Story
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Hartzell, dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s business school, has served as interim president since April after former president Greg Fenves stepped down after five years at the helm. Full Story
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This comes after the Pac-12 and the Big 10 said that they would postpone college football until at least the spring. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey signaled Tuesday that the conference that includes Texas A&M will play this fall. Full Story
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Economists said canceling football would be devastating to local businesses that rely on the huge influxes of cash from home games. Meanwhile, athletics officials weigh whether they can risk the health and welfare of student athletes. Full Story
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Without approval from the Texas Legislature, Texas A&M University leaders cannot remove the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue on campus, Paxton said Friday. If they decide to relocate it, it must be in a "prominent" location, he added. Full Story
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It's impossible to foretell the coronavirus pandemic's full financial impact on state universities, public and private, but some have already faced millions in lost revenue and unexpected costs. Things will only get worse. Full Story
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Texas schools in the Big 12 and SEC are still planning to play this fall. Full Story
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The university plans to test all of its campus residence hall students by the beginning of September. It will continue to identify individuals or groups on campus strategically to test those at a higher risk of disease spread and perform random testing. Full Story
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While some universities nationwide and in Texas are still refusing to disclose coronavirus cases, UT-Austin set up a digital dashboard allowing community members to see updated student, faculty and staff cases. But the transparency has already proven to be a double-edged sword. Full Story
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The university is mailing testing kits to its 18,000 students and requiring a negative test result before allowing them back on campus. Full Story
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Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf said that in response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, officials are considering whether to fully rescind the program. Full Story
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Previous attempts to overturn UT-Austin's admissions policies have proven unsuccessful, including a 2018 lawsuit by the same group that was dropped earlier this month and a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case that sided with the university. Full Story
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Now that the first official estimate of the coronavirus' effect on the Texas economy is out, the hard work starts. Legislators have to figure out which parts of the state budget to cut and which parts to keep. Full Story
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University officials had previously said they were considering a limit of 50% to comply with social distancing guidelines. Full Story
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Other reasons UT-Austin would close include “significant actions” by the governor or other public officials, sharply diminished hospital capacity, testing shortages on campus and unmanageable, widespread clusters of cases. Full Story
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Up to 15,000 test kits will be available per month across its 11 universities. The system has set aside $16 million to pay for the testing program. Full Story
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The repeal follows outspoken criticism from universities, legal experts and higher education advocates, who deemed the rules unfairly punitive for foreign students. Full Story
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