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Jessica Priest covers higher education, working in partnership with Open Campus. She joined the Tribune in 2022 as an engagement reporter in the ProPublica/Texas Tribune joint investigative unit, contributing to a series that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the explanatory reporting category. Prior to the Tribune, Jessica worked for the Fort Worth Report, USA Today, the Victoria Advocate and the Temple Daily Telegram, reporting on topics that included criminal justice, the environment and local government. Her work has often made an impact. The state’s highest criminal court granted a death row inmate a new trial after she detailed a prosecutor’s conflicts of interest. After she exposed questionable hirings and payments at a port and later a water district in another part of the state, both public entities underwent reforms. Jessica was born in Houston and graduated from Sam Houston State University.
In an interview with the Tribune, Chancellor Glenn Hegar also said he would prioritize student outcomes over big projects and skirted questions about diversity and academic freedom. Full Story
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Both Zerwas and Davis have been serving as interim leaders of the university system and its flagship. Full Story
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The school sought to leave the church because of differences over gay marriage and clergy. The court did not decide whether SMU could be prevented from separating. Full Story
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The creation of the new accrediting agency comes as Republicans have criticized existing ones for reinforcing a liberal bias in the country's higher ed institutions. Full Story
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Lawmakers also approved direct pay for student athletes and sought better pathways from college to the workforce. Full Story
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Some implications of the ruling ordering the policy’s end are still unknown. College access experts urged affected students not to withdraw from school while they assess their options. Full Story
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Thousands of undocumented students who grew up in Texas now face college tuition costs that are more than twice what other state residents pay. Full Story
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Within hours of a federal lawsuit targeting Texas’ policy of letting undocumented students qualify for lower public tuition rates, the 24-year-old law was no more. Full Story
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House Bill 126, which allows student athletes to receive a slice of the billions Texas colleges generate in revenue from their teams, now awaits the governor’s signature. Full Story
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The proposal is largely in response to massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say it would walk back free speech protections that conservatives advocated for in previous legislative sessions. Full Story
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