The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.
While some universities in other states that hold federal contracts have mandated vaccines for all employees, many Texas universities, which collectively have billions in federal contracts, are still reviewing the executive order before it goes into effect Dec. 8. Full Story
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Preliminary data shows Texas college enrollment is down about 4% statewide since 2019, mostly due to an 11% drop in community college enrollment. Full Story
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Seliger has served in the Senate since 2005 and led the higher education committee. He was seen as a champion of public education and local control but was derided as too soft on social conservative issues near the end of his tenure. Full Story
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UTRGV’s decision to offer free tuition to more students comes after more students’ families lost jobs during the pandemic. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says there’s no plan for a fourth special session at this time. If this was the final special session of the year, what did we learn from it? Full Story
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Before ending the special session Tuesday, Texas lawmakers reached a deal to allocate roughly $3.3 billion to higher education institutions for capital projects. The price tag went up from the Senate's original proposal. Full Story
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Lawmakers haven’t passed a tuition revenue bond bill since 2015. Full Story
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A pandemic-weary faculty and staff want President Scott Gordon to step down, but the board of regents stands behind him for now. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature has not approved bonds to fund capital projects on public university campuses since 2015, and many school leaders say they need help to build new buildings and maintain current structures. Full Story
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A University of Texas at Austin student who planned to apply to an Obama-era initiative for immigrants who came to America as children is stuck in limbo after a Texas judge halted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Full Story
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Cardona spoke about how students, teachers, schools and districts have fared during the pandemic — and what happens now. Full Story
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Sharp talked about how higher ed survives the pandemic, the obstacles to running a world-class public university and the future of college football. Full Story
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Provost Sharon Wood attempted to reassure faculty that the new institute is an investment in politics, philosophy and economics to attract new faculty. But some professors said they’re concerned UT-Austin is allowing the Legislature to politicize the university with the new center. Full Story
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University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either. Full Story
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UTSA decided to end the six-year tradition because the phrase had become “incongruent” with the university’s values and it did not want to become embroiled in a divisive issue. Full Story
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The complaint signals a continued desire among some UT-Austin students and alumni to push administrators to discontinue using the song as the university’s alma mater, despite the university’s insistence that it will remain. Full Story
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Proposals obtained by The Texas Tribune indicate the institute would be “dedicated to the study and teaching of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets.” Full Story
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President Denise Trauth oversaw years of growth at Texas State as it became a Hispanic Serving Institution, a Texas Emerging Research University and underwent the most construction projects since the university's founding. Full Story
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Texas public universities forbidden from mandating vaccines are trying to entice students and faculty to get the shot. Those moves come as more people ages 18 to 29 years old in Texas are being hospitalized with the virus. Full Story
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COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are rebelling against Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. Here’s the latest. Full Story
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