Chris Beard was arrested in December for allegedly strangling his fiancee. The university fired him last month.
Higher Education
Coverage of universities, colleges, student issues, and education policy shaping Texas’ campuses, from The Texas Tribune.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Black and Latino lawmakers slam Gov. Greg Abbott for order limiting diversity considerations in hiring
The lawmakers called on major sports organizations to not host championship games in the state until the governor rescinds his guidance to agencies and universities.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott says he favors ban on transgender women competing in collegiate women’s sports
In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting transgender athletes’ participation in K-12 sports. Now there’s talk of extending those limits to colleges and universities.
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Higher Education
Ruth Simmons will resign early as president of Prairie View A&M University
Simmons was expected to step down June 1. The abrupt resignation appears to be over a difference with Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp over hiring during the rest of Simmons’ term as president.
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Higher Education
Texas Tech reviews its hiring practices as efforts to promote diversity come under fire
Texas Tech’s review comes as Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed state agencies and public universities that “forbidden DEI initiatives” violate federal and state employment discrimination laws.
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Higher Education
University of Texas at Austin students will hold referendum on “Eyes of Texas”
The nonbinding referendum is meant to gauge student opinion on the divisive alma mater but would not result in any changes to the song. Student leaders called for it in response to a 2021 university report on the song’s history that found it was “not overtly racist.”
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Higher Education
University of Houston asked students to wear neon vests after police drew weapon on a Black student
The university distributed vests to theater students after an officer drew a gun on a Black student rehearsing a violent scene last year. Officials walked back the requirement amid recent student criticism.
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The 10 most disruptive areas of research happening in Texas
From artificial intelligence to regenerative medicine, universities like UTSA are doing the research that will lead Texas and the country towards a bright future.
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Higher Education
Texas universities block access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks
Students and faculty will not be able to access the popular social media app while connected to university internet servers. It’s the latest step to limit access to the service after Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to ban the app on government-issued devices citing cybersecurity risks.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
As lawmakers begin a new session, Texas mayors want to maintain control of local issues
Mayors from the state’s most populous cities presented their legislative wish list, including economic development and workforce programs, broadband infrastructure and violence prevention.