Join us June 17 in Austin for a conversation with retiring Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp
We’ll discuss the future of higher education and how state politics has changed over four decades Full Story
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UT-Rio Grande Valley students caught in nationwide sweep sue Homeland Security over immigration status
The four students were involved in minor criminal cases that have been resolved, which they argue shouldn’t be used to justify ending their higher ed goals in Texas. Full Story
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![Students walk through a bridge connecting two sides of campus at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas law students warn that bill to quash “terrorist activity” in universities could trample free speech rights
The bill would require universities to report any visa-holding students who support terrorism, but its vague language could be dangerous, civil rights groups say. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, chair of the Senate Committee on Education K-16, lays out the SB2 plan for a education savings account program on Jan. 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House gives first approval to bill that would allow universities to pay student athletes
Already able to collect from private entities, athletes for the first time would be able to receive direct payments from universities under the proposal. Full Story
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![Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (right) works on TCU Horned Frogs guard Jameer Nelson Jr. in the Big 12 Championship Tournament at T-Mobile center in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14, 2024.]()
Credit: Jon Robichaud/Cal Sport Media/Sipa via REUTERS -
Texas Senate approves bill that could reshape how history and race are taught in state universities
An overhauled version of Senate Bill 37 would also allow anyone to file complaints that could lead schools to lose funds. Full Story
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![Students walk through the University of Texas at Austin on Nov. 29, 2021.]()
Credit: Jack Myer for The Texas Tribune -
More than 250 international students’ immigration statuses revoked across Texas universities
The people affected include a University of Houston professor from Korea who was teaching upper level math under a type of student visa that allows graduates to work in their field of study. Full Story
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![University of North Texas students walk past the eagle statue on Feb. 13, 2024. The Soaring Eagle Statue was comissioned in celebration of UNT's centennial in 1990.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
15 Texas A&M international students might have quietly lost their ability to stay in the U.S.
The Trump administration has said it has revoked the visas of more than 300 international students across the country in the last three weeks. Full Story
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![Students walk to class on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Nov. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Do-it-yourself mental health: Community college students band together to pitch solutions
Students from Texas and across the country are getting help to generate new ideas for campus support systems — and to turn those ideas into reality. Full Story
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![Having dealt with mental health issues himself, Elijah Gregory is now working to create a support group for other students at North Central Texas College. He’s part of a national program that encourages college students to brainstorm new ways to address students’ mental health needs.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Elijah Gregory -
Five ways a funding overhaul has transformed Texas community colleges
More than a year after Texas’ House Bill 8 took effect, some schools have offered free tuition, grown dual credit programs or helped students’ credits transfer when they move on to four-year schools. Full Story
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![Jennifer Waldron, a Continuing Education instructor at Austin Community College, shows students where to put the electrodes when doing an EKG at ACC’s Leander campus on Oct. 4. The students were participating in a healthcare apprenticeship program for Baylor Scott & White employees.]()
Credit: Jack Myer for The Texas Tribune -
Interim UT-Austin president seeks to walk fine line between faculty and lawmakers’ concerns
Jim Davis told professors he’ll share their concerns with lawmakers about proposals that would increase oversight on curricula and hiring. Elsewhere on campus, former UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell criticized the bills. Full Story
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![UT-Austin’s interim president Jim Davis speaks during a university faculty council meeting on March 25, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M can’t ban “Draggieland” drag show, federal judge rules
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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![Students and supporters gather on campus to protest the Texas A&M University Board of Regents' decision on Draggieland in College Station, TX, on Wednesday, March 6, 2025.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ DEI debate centers on a disagreement about whether programs perpetuate or prevent discrimination
Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit. Full Story
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![Illustrated posters reading “We Belong Here” litter the Capitol’s rotunda floor during Texas Students for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s protest of HB1 Rider No. 186, which would defund DEI initiatives at public universities, on Mar. 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ DEI bans: What to know about the term and the debate
Diversity, equity and inclusion has become highly politicized — and there’s no standard definition for what it is. Full Story
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![The Capitol dome is seen from the north side of the complex in Austin on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas faculty testify against bills to screen universities’ curriculum for “ideological” bias
Lawmakers say several bills under consideration Thursday would “address the unchecked authority of faculty.” They would expand university governing boards’ oversight powers. Full Story
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![The UT system Board of Regents during a regular meeting in Austin on May 3, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas System bans drag shows in campus facilities
The move comes a few weeks after the Texas A&M System issued a similar ban, which is being challenged in court. Full Story
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![Dulce Gabbana applies makeup on Angelo Rios, a university student, for Day of Drag at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, on Wednesday, March 6, 2025.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers seek to transfer University of Houston-Victoria to Texas A&M system
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, said Texas A&M is better positioned to grow the Victoria school and serve the region’s petrochemical and agriculture industries. Full Story
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![Students walk to class on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Nov. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
University of North Texas and Rice University under federal investigation for “race-exclusionary practices”
The Texas universities are among dozens accused of violating the law by partnering with a group that had sought to increase diversity in graduate programs. Full Story
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![Rice University in Houston on March 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill would increase oversight of universities’ hiring, curriculum and compliance
Senate Bill 37 would create a state office to investigate complaints against universities and require governing boards to ensure courses don’t endorse certain ideologies. Full Story
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![View of the Administration building on the Texas Tech University campus on July 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
In lawsuit settlement, Texas Tech’s med school promises it won’t consider race in admissions
George Stewart sued Texas Tech University Health Science Center and five other medical schools claiming they rejected him in favor of lesser qualified students of color. Full Story
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![The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock.]()
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Texas Southern University asks for $120 million to replace aging law school
Law students might lose financial aid if TSU does not address health and safety concerns about the building. Full Story
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![Students walk along the Tiger Walk through campus on the first day of class at Texas Southern University on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune