UT System names finalist for president of Stephen F. Austin State University
If approved, Neal Weaver will be the first permanent president to lead the East Texas university since it joined the UT System in 2023. Full Story
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Kate McGee covers higher education for The Texas Tribune. She joined the Tribune in October 2020 after nearly a decade as a reporter at public radio stations across the country, including in Chicago, Washington D.C., Austin, Reno, Nev. and New York. Kate was born in New York City and primarily raised in New Jersey. She earned her bachelor's degree from Fordham University. Her work has appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, and The Takeaway. She is based in Austin.
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![The campus of Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches on Oct. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
University of Houston students face off against administrators over how to spend student fees
Students want to reallocate funding for athletics to other student services, but university leaders rejected that recommendation. Regents on Wednesday sent both sides back to the negotiating table. Full Story
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![Students hold up signs in protest during the University of Houston’s board of regents meeting at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.]()
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Texas A&M students and faculty in Qatar slam decision to close Middle East campus
Professors and students on the Doha campus are devastated by the Board of Regents’ sudden decision to shutter the school by 2028. Full Story
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![The Texas A&M Administration Building in College Station on July 30, 2023.]()
Credit: Meredith Seaver for The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M University to close Qatar campus
The Texas A&M Board cited heightened instability in the Middle East as the reason to end its contract with the Qatar Foundation to run the branch campus. The foundation accuses the board of falling prey to a “disinformation campaign.” Full Story
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![Students at Texas A&M students in Doha, Qatar.]()
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University of North Texas president to step down after 10 years
Under President Neal Smatresk, UNT in Denton became a Carnegie Tier One research university and a Hispanic Serving Institution. Full Story
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![University of North Texas President Neal Smatresk speaks on the UNT campus in Denton on March 8, 2023.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/North Texas Daily -
UT-Austin investigates students amid tensions over Israel-Hamas war
Administrators are weighing possible disciplinary action against four students who criticized the university’s response to the Middle East conflict. Full Story
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![TAs Callie Kennedy, left, and Parham Daghighi, right, speak to a crowd. UT Austin students rallied at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in a protest demanding the reinstatement of TAs Callie Kennedy and Parham Daghighi on Dec. 8, 2023.]()
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UT-Austin becomes first Texas university to raise $1 billion for student support
The sum is part of a larger philanthropic campaign to raise $6 billion for the flagship university in Austin. Full Story
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![The University of Texas tower on July 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
West Texas A&M turned to leading conservatives to build out institute for “Panhandle values”
Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune suggest the new center is more closely aligned with influential conservative actors than publicly discussed. Full Story
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![Amarillo businessman Alex Fairly speaks to the crowd Saturday night after his endorsed candidate Cole Stanley won the Amarillo mayoral election in downtown Amarillo.]()
Credit: Michael Cuviello/Amarillo Globe-News via REUTERS -
In the Panhandle, a conservative vision for higher education takes root at West Texas A&M
University president Walter Wendler’s plan to promote “Panhandle values” has conservatives cheering. But he’s not without critics. Full Story
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![President Dr. Walter V. Wendler speaks to the graduates during the West Texas A&M University Commencement program Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Elon Musk plans to open a new university in Austin
The Tesla CEO and Texas resident’s charitable foundation filed an application to create the new school “dedicated to education at the highest levels.” Full Story
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![Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, in Paris, France, June 16, 2023.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes