Higher Education

June 9, 2017

Hullabaloo, Qatar, Qatar!

Texas A&M at Qatar and the Middle East squabble.

April 7, 2017

Senate Budget Slams Texas’s Colleges and Universities

Upper chamber’s version of the budget would slice $219 million from higher education.

February 17, 2015

Abbott Nibbles at the Policy Margins

In the bright new day of Governor Greg Abbott, Texas and her people are strong and getting stronger, but his State of the State address only polished the edges on some of the major challenges facing the state.

December 8, 2014

Taking on tuition deregulation

Charles Schwertner makes the conservative case against tuition deregulation

By Erica Grieder

January 30, 2014

Tuition Increases at Texas A&M

UPDATE: I spoke with a friend and high-ranking official at Texas A&M who reminded me that the Aggies have the lowest tuition of any school in the prestigious Association of American Universities.The news from Texas A&M that the board of regents is contemplating an increase in tuition and fees at

May 21, 2013

Confirming the New UT Regents

UPDATE: The Nominations Committee has approved all three nominees the UT System Board of Regents. The full Senate will take up nominations next.I walked in the east door of the Capitol yesterday with Senator John Whitmire. He asked if I was going to nominations. I said I was.

April 17, 2013

The Battle for UT Is Far From Over

In October 2012, I wrote a cover story about the battle over UT. That battle, which matched regents appointed by Rick Perry against the leadership of UT-Austin, has not abated. I’m going to discuss portions of Brian Sweany’s recent interview with regent Wallace Hall as well

March 19, 2013

Sauce for the Gander

Today was the long-awaited meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance. This was strictly an organizational meeting, and no members of the UT Board of Regents were present. But it was another front in the increasingly tense battle between the UT System Board of Regents and UT

February 5, 2013

UT (nervously) awaits next batch of Perry regents

From a statement by the Texas Exes, the university’s alumni association:The terms of three distinguished members of The University of Texas System Board of Regents expired this past Friday. These appointments will be made by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.* * * * If the new regents are anything like the

October 16, 2012

Taxes for UT?

The university says that it cannot build and operate its proposed new medical school without a permanent source of funding. It is seeking an increase in local property taxes (amounting to $107.40 per homeowner for the average home), the revenue from which would help fund the medical school. Austin historically

September 20, 2012

The battle over UT

I wrote the cover storyin the current issue of TEXAS MONTHLY. The subject is the future of higher education generally and the threats to the academic reputation of UT-Austin in particular. In the story I deal with Governor Perry’s attempt, starting in 2008, to control higher ed by

September 19, 2012

Is Fisher moot?

The case of Abigail Fisher v. the University of Texas at Austin, an affirmative action case involving undergraduate admissions to UT-Austin, is scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court some time this fall. I wrote about the case in an April BTL, and last night, I

June 29, 2011

A response to Michael Quinn Sullivan

Michael Quinn Sullivan has a bone to pick with me. I am the subject of a blog post by Sullivan published on the Empower Texans web site yesterday under the headline, “Texas Monthly: Disclosure-Free Zone.” Sullivan objects to the fact that in an April column about

May 26, 2011

R.G.’s Take: Perry Gets His Way Again

Oh, ye liberals, Democrats and college professors, weep. There is no doubt now that the man you love to hate – Governor Rick Perry – will be the biggest winner of the 82nd Legislature. Perry has gotten his way on almost every item on is legislative agenda and squeezed the

May 27, 2009

Report: A&M may combine chancellor, president; Murano’s future uncertain

From today’s story in The Eagle, the newspaper for Bryan-College Station: Texas A&M University System officials are considering merging the jobs of system chancellor and Texas A&M University president, Chancellor Mike McKinney confirmed Tuesday. No plans for such a move are in place, McKinney told The Eagle, but he and

November 24, 2008

Shapleigh: “In my view you miss the point.”

I am going to publish below an e-mail and corresponding op-ed that I received from Senator Eliot Shapleigh. It requires no explanation. # # # # This is Shapleigh's letter to me: I’ve read your recent pieces on major issues, including tuition. In my view you miss the point. After

November 23, 2008

Tuition de-reg: Will it be an issue in the speaker’s race?

Here’s the problem for Tom Craddick. The House passed tuition deregulation in 2003 for one reason and one reason only: The speaker twisted Republicans’ arms to get the votes. Almost six years later, tuition and fees at Texas’s public university have risen by an average of 50%, according to Robert