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The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Green Horns

    By Kate Galbraith

    When Longhorn football kicks off at home this month, so will a brand-new marketing effort urging boosters to buy, of all things, green electricity. Colt McCoy's family has already signed up with Texas Longhorns Energy, which promises customers 100 percent power from Texas wind. The Aggies will roll out a similar deal on Friday. The programs are another sign of the universities' branding heft — even though they may not be the best deal within the confusing Texas electricity market. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by UT Austin

  • Data App: Regents Who Give

    By Matt Stiles and Brian Thevenot

    Over the past decade, the men and women chosen by Rick Perry to serve as regents of the state's universities have given his campaigns a total of at least $5.8 million, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. Full Story 

    How much does it cost to be a regent?
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Off-Base?

    By Emily Ramshaw

    The Texas commission charged with aiding economies hit by military base closures will spend millions for a vaccine plant in Bryan-College Station — even though the region’s military base closed nearly five decades ago. Full Story 

    A National Guard soldier receives a seasonal flu shot in Virginia in 2009.
    Credit: U.S. Army

  • TribBlog: Former UT Chancellor in Housing Flap

    By Evan Smith

    The Bay Citizen reports that University of California System Chancellor Mark Yudof, who served as chancellor of the University of Texas System from August 2002 to May 2008 and was previously dean of the UT law school, is embroiled in a controversy over his state-funded housing. Full Story 

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  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Galbraith on grass, federal money and efforts to prevent another dust bowl, Ergenbright on school suspensions and who gets punished; Aguilar's interview with Alan Bersin, whose job is to keep the U.S./Mexico border secure, M. Smith on why it would be harder than you think to ditch the 14th Amendment, Adler and me on whether controversy is politically contagious, Ramshaw on the flap over funding for the state's institutions for the disabled (it's not about the money), my meditation on the state's fiscal woes (including a $1.3 billion deficit in the current budget), Philpott on proposed cuts to the state's food stamp program, Grissom on the push by Hidalgo County officials for a special election that might not be legal; Hamilton on the seven Texas universities that are making a play for Tier One status and Stiles on the mid-year cash-on-hand numbers reported by campaigns and political action committees: The best of our best from August 16 to 23, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The Tracks of Our Tiers

    By Reeve Hamilton

    It could take years before the seven emerging research universities in Texas (Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas at El Paso) transform themselves into top-tier research campuses — if they do at all. But the state now pays them for demonstrated progress toward that goal, pitting them against one another in competition for limited funds. Officials from all seven will appear before a joint hearing of the House and Senate higher education committees today, seeking to show off progress to lawmakers and to size up where they stand against their peers. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Stiles on Bill White's donor-appointees, M. Smith on a form of meritless lawsuit that's still legal in Texas, Ramshaw on what federal health care reform means for the future of physician-owned specialty hospitals, Galbraith's interview with the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Philpott on the latest flap over federal education funding, Grissom on the finally-in-compliance Dallas County Jail, Titus on the oiled pelicans of the BP spill, Hamilton's interview with the new chancellor of the Texas State University System, Ramsey on the political and legal definitions of residency, Hu on Barack Obama's visit to Austin and Aguilar on what the U.S. could be doing to aid Mexico: The best of our best from August 9 to 13, 2010. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Doctors-in-Residence

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Lawmakers must fund more in-state medical residency slots if Texas wants to ward off a looming physician shortage, the presidents of the six University of Texas medical centers told the UT System Board of Regents on Wednesday. Full Story 

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  • Brian McCall: The TT Interview

    By Reeve Hamilton

    The longtime House member from Plano and newly installed chancellor of the Texas State University System (sorry, Sen. Wentworth) talked to the Tribune on Thursday about why he took the job, the importance of Hispanic outreach, the case against cutting the state's higher ed budget, the trouble with the Legislature and what a good governor shouldn't do. Full Story 

    Chancellor Brian McCall of the Texas State University System speaks with Tribune reporter Reeve Hamilton on Aug. 5, 2010.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • Obamarama

    By Elise Hu

    In his first trip to the Texas capital as president, Barack Obama served up little news but plenty of red meat for supporters. Check out our pool report from his fundraiser and our audio, video and slideshow of his UT-Austin speech. Full Story 

    President Obama at the University of Texas on Monday, August 9, 2010.
    Credit: Spencer Selvidge

  • Obama Talks Higher Ed

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    President Obama wrapped up a trip to Austin this afternoon with a speech on higher education on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

    President Obama give "Hook'Em" sign before speech at UT-Austin.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • Learnstrong

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Can a $3 million marketing campaign to promote higher education change the culture of a country-sized state in which just 27 percent of the population has a college degree or certificate? It worked for cancer ... Full Story 

    "Generation TX" stickers
    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • A Court Date for Hopwood 2.0

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    A panel of federal judges will hear arguments today for and against the University of Texas at Austin’s race-based admissions system, which the school has used for decades as part of what its "holistic" admissions program. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

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