Higher education

Under pressure to keep up with rising expenses, colleges in Texas and across the country have turned to outside groups to underwrite certain initiatives. But bringing in outside funders can lead to questions about whether their donations come with strings attached. 

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On this week's TribCast, Evan talks to Ross, Patrick, Shannon and State Rep. Roland Gutierrez about the possibility of a Senate special election, food insecurity on college campuses and how the U.S. House speaker's unexpected retirement affects Texas congressional elections.

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To plug a growing gap in their finances, students are making lifestyle sacrifices. We want to hear about how tuition has changed the way you live.

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Students at many Texas colleges struggle to find enough food to eat — and struggle academically as a result. Houston Community College hopes giving them healthy food will change that. 

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The conservative House Freedom Caucus called for the Legislature to address "head on" a state statute they say impedes Texans' ability to work and makes it even harder for them to pay back their debt.

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Ahead of this weekend's Final Four in San Antonio, we crunched some numbers on how the state's top athletics programs are faring financially. 

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Republican congressional candidate Chip Roy joins the TribCast crew to discuss his upcoming runoff. Plus, we tackle the 2020 census, the March for Our Lives protests and whether Rex Tillerson could be the University of Texas System's next chancellor.  

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Tillerson's exit from the U.S. Department of State was announced less than two weeks ago. 

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After the decision, leaders of the West Texas university affiliated with Churches of Christ said their “first instinct is not exclusion but to love.” 

 

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Texas is among several states that will bar teachers, dentists, nurses and other professional license holders from renewing their licenses if they are in default on their student loans. Critics say the practice is counterproductive, since it impedes Texans’ ability to work and pay back those loans.

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Most University of Texas System schools will see increases in the 1 percent to 7 percent range, adding hundreds of additional dollars to students’ tuition bills.

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The university's handling of the case exemplifies how difficult — and expensive — it can be for schools to respond to controversial speech on their campuses.

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Lori Brown's plans aren't fully formed. But she's determined to push for new laws in Texas that she believes will prevent stabbing sprees like the one that killed her son. 

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A University of Texas System audit has found that UT-Austin President Greg Fenves and his wife, Carmel, flew business class multiple times and should stop purchasing “premium airfare.” Fenves will reimburse the university about $27,000.

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Baylor University said in a court filing that a message about deleting emails had nothing to do with the sexual assault scandal plaguing the school. 

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Free speech on campus has become a hot-button issue, but it’s unclear how lawmakers can better protect it — or if they need to.

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A panel of state lawmakers is set to reconsider the complicated way Texas funds its public colleges and universities on Wednesday after an attempt to overhaul the system failed last year. 

 

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Baylor University officials pushed back forcefully Wednesday night against a brief filed in federal court earlier in the day that claims school leaders urged staff to destroy emails and other evidence related to a wide-ranging sexual abuse scandal.

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The University of Texas System has closed its Institute for Transformational Learning, a startup-like technology initiative. The system spent tens of millions of dollars on the project, but struggled to develop a business plan.  

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An internal review of the Texas Education Agency's contracting regulations found this week that the agency needs a more concrete process for determining whether to bypass competitive bidding when it enters into a new contract. 

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