The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.
The Chronicle of Higher Education has released a data interactive showing the education levels of lawmakers nationally. The study shows most Texas legislators are well educated — 48 percent have attained more than a bachelor’s degree. Full Story
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Of the new University of Texas System regents, none has received more scrutiny than Alex Cranberg. After months of controversy, he said the time has come to “push a reset button” on the relationship between the regents and the leadership at UT. Full Story
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Aguilar on a newly exposed rift in the GOP, Dehn on what summer overtime for lawmakers costs taxpayers, Galbraith on one bright spot for environmentalists this session, Grissom on reports of abuse shrouding a death row case, Hamilton on the long slog toward higher education reform, Ramsey on where the Big Three stand, Ramshaw on the filibuster-induced rise of a state senator, Root on Perry's jump into the culture wars, M. Smith on a new wrinkle in the school finance battle and Tan on the "pansexual" debate that nearly killed the crucial fiscal matters bill: The best of our best content from June 6 to June 10, 2011. Full Story
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While you were sleeping last night, lawmakers in the Texas House were engaged in a passionate debate over "pansexual" politics that nearly killed the entire fiscal matters bill, which is pretty much the main reason they're having a special session. Trust us — this is must-see video. Full Story
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The report on UT teachers' productivity by Richard Vedder and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity is technically accurate — but substantively misleading. A deeper analysis raises troubling questions about how Vedder would change UT. Full Story
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Tuesday's contentious debate on the state Senate floor over a proposed congressional redistricting map, which passed on a party line vote, was just a hint of why graduate students at Texas A&M University — and even some lawmakers — are studying alternative ways to handle the process. Full Story
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During the regular session, Gov. Rick Perry’s top legislative priority for higher education was the implementation of a new financing system that rewards universities for graduating more students, not just for getting students into classes. Why didn't that happen? Full Story
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Early in the session, there was much talk about how the time was right to invest in new university campus facilities. But a bill to issue bonds to get projects off the ground never managed to do so itself. Could it get another chance in the special session? Full Story
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The 82nd Texas Legislature’s regular session ends as it started, with lawmakers arguing about a shrunken state budget and redistricting. Full Story
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Root profiles conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan, Aaronson on the Senate's flare-up over an airport groping ban, Grissom on some twisted logic in the state's same-sex marriage laws, Murphy and Macrander expand and refresh our public employee salary database, yours truly with the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll results on politics, issues, the state's finances, and race, Ramshaw's report on how some of the governor's former aides now represent clients who want more money in the state budget, M. Smith on last-minute efforts to save education legislation that didn't make it through the process, Tan reports on efforts to finish the state budget before the session ends on Monday, and Dehn with the video week in review: The best of our best from May 9 to 13, 2011. Full Story
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A side comment by Texas A&M University System regent that was caught on camera during Thursday's board of regents meeting indicates that the group might be willing to eliminate a controversial teaching award program. Full Story
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A proposal adopted by the Legislature's budget conference committee Thursday would provide funding for TEXAS Grants for about 33,100 incoming freshmen — far less than the number of eligible students but better than what the House originally proposed. Full Story
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At a meeting of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, chairman Richard Box appeared to shrug off a controversial set of “breakthrough solutions” for higher education, saying it is time to "move on." Full Story
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After hitting a brief snag, the bill that creates a mechanism for the leaders in the race to become the state's next tier-one university passed the state Senate today. Full Story
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Lawmakers made progress today on solving the current budget deficit but still haven't solved the major problem in the 2012-13 budget: school finance. Full Story
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On the eve of an important meeting of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, chairman Richard Box issued a systemwide, tone-setting memo. Full Story
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Could a brown, beady-eyed, two-and-a-half-inch lizard really threaten millions of barrels of Texas oil? West Texas lawmakers are worried that adding the sagebrush lizard to the endangered species list would do just that. Full Story
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The most important problems facing the country are economic, while immigration and border security are the most important problems facing the state, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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A bill that could alter the state's formula funding for institutions of higher education to allow some of it to be based on outcomes such as graduation rates rather than simply enrollment has cleared the Senate. Full Story
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Last week, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents chairman Richard Box received a letter from five Texas A&M University professors concerned about his intended direction for the system. Today, he responded, saying, "We are all in this together." Full Story
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