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Higher Education
Coverage of universities, colleges, student issues, and education policy shaping Texas’ campuses, from The Texas Tribune.
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Higher Education
Texas A&M leaders’ text messages show desire to counteract perceived liberal agenda in higher education
Some members of the university system’s board of regents said they wanted to promote conservative causes at the flagship campus and resisted efforts to hire journalism professor Kathleen O. McElroy, who they believed would work counter to those goals.
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TribCast
TribCast: Turmoil at Texas A&M
In this week’s episode, we discuss two cases at Texas A&M University that raised questions of academic freedom — and the fallout that ensued.
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Higher Education
Top Texas A&M officials were involved in botched recruiting of journalism professor, who will receive $1 million settlement
A new internal report, conducted by the university system’s office of general counsel, also looked into Texas A&M’s decision to temporarily suspend a respected opioids expert after she was accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a lecture.
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Higher Education
Texas A&M interim president pledges more transparency after accusations of political interference
In his first comments as interim president, Mark A. Welsh IIII cast recent concerns over political interference in Texas A&M’s employment decisions as “communication breakdowns.”
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Higher Education
Suspended Texas A&M professor denies saying Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick believes overdose victims “deserve to die”
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham alleged Wednesday that opioids expert Joy Alonzo told students in a guest lecture that “Your Lt. Governor says those kids deserve to die.” Alonzo denied the claims.
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Economy
How an internship program hopes to end “brain drain” in Texas’ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin — known for high school football and oil fields — have participated in the University of Texas at Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.
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Higher Education
Texas A&M University System regents name Mark Welsh interim president of flagship campus
The board also gave university lawyers the green light to negotiate a possible settlement with Kathleen McElroy after the university bungled the hiring of the journalism professor.
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Higher Education
Texas A&M regents could offer a settlement to the journalism professor at center of hiring controversy
The system’s board also plans to formally appoint an interim president after Katherine Banks resigned last week following news that the school changed its job offer to Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor, after outcries from conservative groups.
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Higher Education
Faculty worry about Texas A&M’s future after controversies over higher ed politicization
The university has been rattled by two cases in which university officials were apparently rushed into making faculty employment decisions due to political pressure.