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  • Hopwood 2.0

    by Morgan Smith

    A court case involving two University of Texas applicants who believe they were denied admission because they're white threatens to reinvigorate an ideological skirmish that peaked in the late 1990s. The first lawsuit of its kind brought against a university since a pair of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2003, Fisher v. Texas has observers everywhere wondering if the state's troubled history with race-based admissions makes it the ideal incubator for the next round of affirmative action battles. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The "Career" Path

    by Reeve Hamilton

    Private, for-profit colleges, which offer professional certificates at a steep cost, have come under fire for peddling big student loans to vulnerable Texans in exchange for credentials of dubious value. Full Story 

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  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    by Evan Smith

    Grissom's three-part series (here, here and here) on prosperity and peril along the U.S.-Mexico border, Hu on the Division of Workers' Compensation audit report, Stiles puts more than 3,000 personal disclosure forms filed by politicians, candidates and state officials online, M. Smith on attempts to curb the practice of barratry (better known as ambulance chasing), Ramsey interviews the chair of the Texas Libertarian Party, Hamilton on attempts to improve the success rates of community colleges, Galbraith on whether electric deregulation has helped or hurt Texans, Aguilar talks to a chronicler of the bloody narco-wars and Ramshaw on doctors who most often prescribe antipsychotic drugs to the state's neediest patients: The best of our best from July 12 to 16, 2010. Full Story 

    The best of our best from the week of July 12th.

  • TribBlog: Goodbye, Simkins

    by Elizabeth Titus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted unanimously this morning to rename an all-male dorm Creekside Residence Hall after weeks of debate about the man the building was originally named for: William Stewart Simkins, a dead UT law professor and Ku Klux Klan organizer. Full Story 

    Simkins Hall at the University of Texas-Austin in July, 2010.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • Naming Rights

    by Elizabeth Titus

    The University of Texas once admired Ku Klux Klan organizer and law professor William Stewart Simkins. Today the UT System's regents meet to consider whether the tree-shaded all-male residence on San Jacinto Boulevard that bears his name still should. Full Story 

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    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • A Dream Preferred

    by Reeve Hamilton

    The majority of students who enroll in community colleges never make it out with a credential. Some Texas schools are turning to Achieving the Dream, a national initiative that requires them to own up to their problems and improve those success rates. Full Story 

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  • Age of Innocence

    by Kate Ergenbright

    More than 120 college students worked 12,300 hours-plus on Innocence Project of Texas cases from 2007 to 2009, according to the Task Force on Indigent Defense. As student participation has increased, so have exonerations. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • TribBlog: Not OK With the KKK

    by Elizabeth Titus

    University of Texas President Bill Powers has decided it's time to rid the campus of a name that is a reminder of white hoods and racist atrocities: Ku Klux Klan leader William Stewart Simkins. Full Story 

    Bill Powers speaks about budget cuts at The University of Texas on Tuesday, February 2nd.
    Credit: Jacqueline Mermea

  • How the Human-Powered Gym Works

    by Elise Hu

    At Texas State University, one 30-minute workout can generate enough electricity to power a laptop for three hours. Watch as the director of campus recreation explains how elliptical machines and treadmills are harnessed into alternative energy. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Excellence for Aid?

    by Elizabeth Titus

    A previously rejected proposal that would give TEXAS Grants to college students based on academic merit, rather than on a first-come, first-served basis, saw the light again on Wednesday — but old tensions still linger about who should get a piece of the nearly $615 million financial aid pie first. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • Medical Mission?

    by Emily Ramshaw

    Are Texas medical schools missing a social conscience? Many fare poorly in a new study that ranks them based on their contributions to meeting the nation’s health care needs. Full Story 

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  • The Unkindest Cuts

    by Nathan Bernier, KUT News

    One advocate says he feels "numb" at the thought of the state's community colleges slashing another 10 percent from their budgets at a time of record enrollment growth. Cuts in spending on facilities and equipment are likely coming, as KUT's Nathan Bernier reports. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    by Evan Smith

    M. Smith's interview with the new chair of the Texas GOP, Philpott on Republicans and Tea Partiers living in harmony, Aguilar on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's not-yet-released strategic plan, Ramshaw's tragic tale of out-of-state kids in Texas treatment centers, Grissom on how budget cuts could impact juvenile justice, Stiles' awesome new population app, Galbraith on the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, Hamilton's interview with the commissioner of higher education and the debut of Hu's new video debate series: The best of our best from June 14 to 19, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • An Interview with Raymund Paredes

    by Reeve Hamilton

    In 2000, Texas higher education in Texas was languishing behind other states and a plan was adopted to “close the gaps” by 2015. A decade later, Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes tells the Tribune that significant change is still needed. Full Story 

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    Credit: Reeve Hamilton

  • Raymund Paredes: The TT Interview

    by Reeve Hamilton

    In 2000, higher education in Texas languished compared to other states, and a plan was adopted to “close the gaps” by 2015. A decade later, the commissioner of higher education tells the Tribune that bold steps still need to be taken. But can we afford to take them? Full Story 

    Texas Higher Education Chairman Raymund Paredes.