The latest higher education news from The Texas Tribune.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has filed large information requests with the University of Texas System, in part to find out about regents' ties to Austin businessman Jeff Sandefer. In June, Sandefer turned the tables on her. Full Story
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As a House committee considers whether to bring articles of impeachment against University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall, system leaders have responded strongly to recent criticism of Hall. Full Story
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In two emotional events Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry ceremonially signed a bill that will create a new university in the Rio Grande Valley. He also addressed demands to add bonds for campus construction to the special session agenda. Full Story
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A legislative committee charged with weighing the impeachment of University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall is easing its way into a process that has relatively little historical precedent or statutory guidance. Full Story
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Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin said he felt that he brought something to A&M that had been somewhat lacking: "a real focus on students." He said that his decision to leave his post was driven by a desire to return to teaching. Full Story
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Legislators appear ready and willing to approve billions in tuition revenue bonds — or “TRBs” — for campus construction projects, but only if Gov. Rick Perry will let them. Full Story
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Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin will step down from his position in January, he notified university leaders on Friday. Full Story
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Legislators are continuing efforts to pass a bill that would help colleges and universities across Texas move forward with construction and improvement projects, even though the issue is not on the call for the special session. Full Story
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UPDATED: The University of Texas System's Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a nearly $50 million land deal for the new school's Brownsville campus. Full Story
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In a session largely marked by unfinished business in higher education, tweaks to the B-On-Time Loan Program are among the more noteworthy accomplishments, and could mean millions of dollars in savings for some universities. Full Story
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Thousands of Texas students will now have to pay 6.8 percent interest — a number that doubled virtually overnight — on any new federal direct subsidized loans after Congress failed to reach a compromise to address student loan debt. Full Story
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UPDATED: A spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry said the expansion of a House committee's authority to investigate gubernatorial appointees on Tuesday sent a "chilling message." Full Story
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The controversial member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents on the prospect of his impeachment, the motivations for his much-scrutinized actions and whether he believes UT-Austin President Bill Powers should be fired. Full Story
UPDATED: University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers said the school was "encouraged" by a U.S. Supreme Court decision to send a high-profile case regarding the use of race in admissions back to the 5th Circuit court. Full Story
House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, filed a resolution to impeach University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall on Monday. Full Story
UPDATED: State Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, the House's chief budget writer and a critic of some current University of Texas System regents, said Friday he is confident he has the support needed to unseat UT Regent Wallace Hall. Full Story
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Touting a new collaboration, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp asserted on Wednesday that the system's flagship university in College Station "has become the premier research university in the Southwest." Full Story
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Two legislators from Hidalgo County and two from Cameron County recall what it took to come up with a compromise on the bill to create a new university in South Texas, which Gov. Rick Perry recently signed into law. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Full Story
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UPDATED: A second University of Texas System regent has lashed out at fellow Regent Wallace Hall, following Hall's latest request for information from the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story