At the Trib's November 29 symposium on higher education at Texas A&M University, Reeve Hamilton talked about pathways to student success with Shirley Reed of South Texas College, House Higher Education Committee Chairman Dan Branch, Denise Trauth of Texas State University and Lawrence Schovanec of Texas Tech University.

At the Trib's November 29 symposium on higher education at Texas A&M University, I talked about innovations in online curriculum and the use of smartphones and other devices in and out of the classroom with Steve Klingler of Western Governors University, Steven Mintz of the University of Texas System, Renee Patton of Cisco Systems and Phil Schubert of Abilene Christian University.

Imagine a government as accountable to voters for its performance as football coaches are to the ire of fans and boosters.

For higher education in the 83rd Legislative Session, the central theme will be finding ways to get more bang for the same amount bucks, if not less.

At Thursday's meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa announced a major plan to consolidate its existing institutions in the Rio Grande Valley to create a new university.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Thursday will take on the issue of rising student loan debt, discussing the recommendations of a task force on ways to help students reduce and manage their burden.

At the Trib's November 29 symposium on higher education at Texas A&M University, I talked about the cost of a college degree, the pursuit of academic excellence and, of course, SEC football with A&M's president, R. Bowen Loftin, and A&M System Chancellor John Sharp.

One year ago, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp moved one of his vice chancellors, Frank Ashley, into a new position unlike any in the state's university systems: vice chancellor for recruitment and diversity.

Recommendations in a new draft report on Texas undergraduate medical education caution against rushing to build any new medical schools, which may irk those that are pushing to do exactly that.

Robert Titus had told his mom that he would get a college degree. But service in the U.S. Navy and a long sales career derailed that pledge for years. But Titus, 80, is now the proud owner of a degree from WGU Texas, an online university.

South Texas health leaders say they've waited long enough to establish a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. But they've got some major hurdles to cross to get from blueprints to bricks and mortar. 

With affirmation from voters, little stands between the University of Texas at Austin and its desired medical school except hard work and collaboration. It could open as early as 2015, though leaders say 2016 is probably more realistic.

Since its deregulation in 2003, the average cost of tuition and fees at public Texas universities has increased by 90 percent. Some lawmakers are hoping the 2013 session will provide a chance to once again regulate the price of higher education.

The process Larry Sager, the UT law school's former dean, used to secure a $500,000 loan for himself was not transparent and created "an impression of self-dealing that cannot be condoned," according to a report released Tuesday. 

After nine years with the University of Texas System, Kenneth Shine, the executive vice chancellor for health affairs, announced on Monday that he intends to retire in early 2013.

On Saturday morning, just more than a year after it was established, WGU Texas, the state's online university, held its first-ever graduation ceremony. Gov. Rick Perry called it "proof" that establishing the school was a good idea.

At our Oct. 29 TribLive conversation, I talked with Denise Trauth, the president of Texas State University, about the cost of a college degree, graduation rates, changing student demographics and other issues of the moment in higher education.

The state of Texas used to cover half of the costs of higher education at state colleges and universities. Now it's around 13 percent at the University of Texas at Austin and 22 percent at Texas A&M University in College Station.