By an 8-0 vote, Gregory Fenves has been named the next UT-Austin president. He'll take over the job June 3.

Also, the House-Senate brinksmanship on tax relief shows no sign of resolution.

Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp has asked all vice presidents at the system's flagship College Station campus to submit letters of resignation prior to the arrival of the school's new president.

School officials say the cost of providing free tuition for veterans and their dependents is growing at an unsustainable pace. Lawmakers in the House are considering tweaks to the law.

The University of Texas at Austin filed for five trademarks related to the hiring of basketball coach Shaka Smart this month. But an alumnus, his neighbor and a Louisiana company beat it to the punch on three others.

Senators on Tuesday voted 30-1 to approve the state's two-year budget. It will now go to conference committee to be reconciled with the House version.

In 2013, billions of dollars in bonds to pay for new campus buildings slipped through the grasp of state universities and colleges in the session's closing moments. Another bond package is now moving through the chambers, and university leaders hope not to repeat that fate.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents will allow member Wallace Hall to see some data and documents compiled during an outside investigation into outside influence on UT-Austin admissions.

The Texas House on Wednesday tentatively approved a package of bonds worth $3.1 billion to support construction on college campuses. Legislators haven't authorized such spending in a decade.

A Senate committee has approved a bill that would limit tuition increases to the rate of inflation unless universities meet "performance measures." Meanwhile, a House committee is considering a bill to tie tuition increases only to inflation.

The Texas House on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for a constitutional election over whether to send surplus dollars from the Rainy Day Fund into a new account to pay down state debt.

The meeting comes after UT System Regent Wallace Hall asked to visit with one of the investigators from Kroll Associates, which found that UT-Austin President Bill Powers helped secure admittance for some students over the objections of the admissions office.

In a brief statement, the school said it was notified that Sen. Ted Cruz is "regrettably unable to join us" at the May event. No reason was given.

Buyouts for Rick Barnes and Shaka Smart could force the Longhorns to pay $2.5 million.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has approached Texas A&M International University about speaking at the Laredo college's spring commencement, the A&M System confirmed Thursday.