Athletic conference instability has easily been the most significant struggle of Ken Starr's first year as Baylor University president. Otherwise, he has thrived beyond expectations — something that even his critics happily concede.

Ramshaw, Root and Philpott track the governor on the campaign trail, Tan and Dehn on high school football concussions, and Murphy and yours truly on the partisan climates of each district under redistricting maps: The best of our content from Sept. 19 to 23.

Gov. Rick Perry's go-to problem solver, Jay Kimbrough, could have chosen a more inconvenient time to take out his pocket knife in response to his firing from the Texas A&M University System, whose flagship university is Perry's alma mater. But maybe not much more.

At today's hearing of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency, experts weighed in on how — and how not — to make universities in Texas more accountable and transparent.

The University of Texas System regents today gave UT President Bill Powers the authority to take any necessary actions regarding conference realignment, another step in the university's possible departure from the Big 12.

Texas A&M University System scientists want cinephiles to know that the scenario in the movie Contagion is a very real one — and that if it did come to pass, they'd have a major role to play in solving the problem.

Who knew, when the 1998 race for lieutenant governor was raging, that the combatants would end up like this: Rick Perry is picking his way across Iowa and New Hampshire with his sights set on the White House, and John Sharp is the chancellor-apparent at the Texas A&M University System.

Whodathunkit?

Though former Comptroller John Sharp, the newly named chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, has logged many years in public service, Sharp said he’s heard that the politics he’s about to encounter in academia “are 10 times worse.”

The just-selected chancellor of the Texas A&M University System on his new job, the controversy surrounding higher ed and, yes, the SEC.

John Sharp: The TT Interview Audio

"These are extremely complex issues, and it is imperative that we proceed methodically and in the best interests of Texas A&M," said A&M President R. Bowen Loftin.

John Sharp, a longtime Democratic officeholder who is a friend and former classmate of Gov. Rick Perry's, could be the next chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, sources told the Tribune Friday afternoon.

Almost 55 percent of recent Texas public school students were suspended at least once between their seventh and 12th grade years, according to a statewide report released today.

The board of the University of Texas Investment Management Company on Thursday approved salary increases for the company's staff as well Bruce Zimmerman, its chief executive officer and chief investment officer.

Today, in one of his first acts as the new Texas A&M University System interim chancellor, Jay Kimbrough discontinued a controversial Teaching Excellence Awards program.

Jay Kimbrough, a former chief of staff to Gov. Rick Perry, this morning was named deputy chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. He will also serve as interim chancellor.

You’d think the Aggie consultant would be working for the Aggie candidate.

A powerful group of individuals — including former regents, former university system chancellors and former university presidents — from around Texas have joined together to address the state's ongoing higher education controversy.