Politics

As the debate over the future of Texas’ higher education continues to swirl, it's increasingly intertwined in old political rivalries and long-held grudges and resentments.

Gov. Rick Perry is in a great position in the race for president. His name is in the conversation. He’s in place if there’s a draft, but not at risk of an embarrassing loss. How can you lose a race you’re not running?

The legislative session ends in less than two weeks, and lawmakers won't take up a bill to redraw the state's congressional districts until later this week. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the delay could affect how the new lines are drawn.

Lawmakers working on a final version of the state's two-year budget have agreed to close down a Texas prison for the first time in the state's history, according to a report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Call it the Justin Timberlake Treatment: The Legislature has found itself boxed in as it searches for a way out of the budget divide.

Candidates in next year’s U.S. House and Senate elections in Texas raised more than $5 million in the first quarter from individuals. Most live in Texas. But a significant portion came from outside the Lone Star State, according to the Federal Election Commission. California led the way, followed by Virginia, Washington, D.C. and New York.

At a meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents in Austin Thursday, UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa won unanimous support after laying out his “framework for advancing excellence throughout the university system.”

Multiple higher education sources with knowledge of the events that transpired before the Texas A&M chancellor's surprise "retirement" announcement on Tuesday say that members of the system's board of regents told him it was time for a change.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards, a native Texan and daughter of former Gov. Ann Richards, visited the Capitol on Wednesday to defend funding for womens' health services.

In recent months, a set of seven "breakthrough solutions" for higher education have been discussed, debated and mulled over in the press, the Legislature, and various academic circles. Arguably lacking in the debate is the voice of a disinterested third party — until now.

The Texas Senate passed a budget this week for the next biennium, but only after nearly suffering a meltdown. Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden has blamed some of the drama on the meddling of outside interest groups.

Members of Congress from Texas — and potential candidates for those offices — have raised more than $9 million in the first quarter of this year in advance of the 2012 federal elections, campaign records show.

With school districts across the state passing belt-tightening budgets due to cuts expected at the Legislature, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that some districts are gearing up for legal challenges.

This afternoon, the University of Texas System released much-anticipated data on faculty "productivity" — noting, however, that the 821-page spreadsheet is in a raw draft form that has not been fully verified and "cannot yield accurate analysis, interpretations or conclusions."

Jeff Sandefer, the author of the "seven breakthrough solutions" that have rocked the Texas higher education community, has broken his silence on the matter.

At last Thursday's TribLive conversation, I interviewed Bill Powers and Bowen Loftin, the presidents of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, respectively, about the seven "breakthrough solutions" proposed for higher ed by advocates of reform.

At last Thursday's TribLive conversation, I interviewed Bill Powers and Bowen Loftin, the presidents of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, respectively, about the need to quantify the financial contribution of faculty members as part of a higher ed accountability effort.

At a panel hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, UT president Bill Powers, TPPF senior fellow Ronbald Trowbridge and speaker of the A&M faculty senate Robert Strawser discuss the conservative think tank's seven proposed reforms to higher education.

At a panel hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation today, Bill Powers, the president of the University of Texas, and Robert Strawser, an accounting professor at Texas A&M University and the speaker of its faculty senate, responded to the conservative think tank's proposed higher education reforms.

Taxpayers and students make considerable financial investments in Texas universities. As such, they deserve excellence in both teaching and research. Full transparency and accountability are needed to ensure that neither of those priorities is shortchanged.