Higher Education

Undocumented UT Grads Call for Permanent Immigration Solution

Ann Choi — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:15:00 +0000

A UT student organization held a ceremony today for undocumented students who will graduate with their peers this weekend.

Last year, undocumented students became eligible to apply for a two year-long work permit that would protect them from deportation through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. However, the undocumented graduates said the policy protects only the students –not their families – and therefore, it’s not a permanent solution.

New Targets of College Divestment Movements: Oil, Gas & Coal

Marissa Barnett — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:39:43 +0000

College is a time for classes, house parties and questionable dorm food. But as some students at UT and across the country are demonstrating, it’s also a time for activism.

Journalist and activist Bill McKibben and his environmentally-minded group 350.org are promoting a “Fossil Free Divestment Movement” to encourage American universities to withdraw their stock holdings from the top 200 coal, oil and gas companies. The group first gained notoriety when it held an International Day of Climate Action in 2009.

UT Police Seek Renewed Public Safety Accreditation

Austin Feldman — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:14:37 +0000

The University of Texas Police Department is undergoing a review of its services. Assessors with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) are examining all UTPD operations to determine whether the department deserves accreditation.

Accreditation isn't mandatory but is seen as a representation of public safety excellence.

Coming Soon: Standardized Tests for College Students, Universities?

Austin Feldman — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:16:32 +0000

Some Texas lawmakers are looking to create an academic assessment tool to measure and compare the teaching abilities of the state’s public universities.

Today, members of the Senate Committee for Higher Education took up SB 436. The bill would make it a requirement for Texas universities to issue students a learning assessment before the first day of class, and during the last semester before graduation. The assessment would act as a tool to monitor student growth.

Man Found Guilty of Texas State University Bomb Hoax

Filipa Rodrigues — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:55:29 +0000

A federal court in Houston found Dereon Kelley guilty in last year’s bomb hoax at Texas State University.

The 22-year-old Bryan man was convicted on three counts of using the Internet for a false bomb threat to intimidate people at the university.

Students Stopped Stabbing Suspect At Texas College

Mark Memmott, NPR — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:21:59 +0000

"My first thought was I need to go catch him."

Ryan Ballard, a student at Lone Star College in Cypress, Texas, tells the Houston Chronicle about the chaotic scene at the school Tuesday when as many as 14 people were injured, at least two critically, by an attacker who used a sh

15,000 Already Registered for UT Austin's edX Classes (Update)

Bobby Blanchard and Laura Rice, KUT News — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:10:15 +0000

Update: The University of Texas System says nearly 15,000 people from around the world have signed up for free, online classes offered by the University of Texas at Austin in just the first three days of enrollment.

The most popular edX class offered by UT so far is Energy 101 – with more than 5,000 registrants.

Austin Community College to Break Ground at Highland Mall

KUT Staff — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:45:51 +0000

Austin Community College is breaking ground today at a vacant JCPenney store in Highland Mall. The store will be converted into a learning environment for ACC.

"This is a really big day for ACC as well as the surrounding neighborhood and in fact all of the communities that we serve," ACC spokesperson Alexis Patterson said. "It’s great for the area. It brings new life, new people coming to the mall. And the mall’s still in operation, so we’re excited about the boost this is going to give to the mall as a whole.”

Veterans Education Requirements Putting Strain on Texas Colleges?

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:17:34 +0000

Colleges and universities in Texas are struggling to pay for the tuition benefits they give to qualifying veterans and their dependents as part of a program called the Hazlewood Act.

As the number of veterans rises, higher education leaders say their institutions need help tackling the costs.

“We continuously get pulled at not to increase tuition. We don’t want to increase tuition. But those are the issues that we follow," Kenth Hance, Texas Tech University Systems Chancellor, says.

Tying Degrees to Higher Ed Funding

Trey Shaar, KUT News — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:07:59 +0000

There’s a new effort at the Texas Capitol to tie higher education funding to results -- to use a business term, “productivity.”

And that’s the word Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond used today at an event headlined by State Representative Dan Branch, R-Dallas, the chairman of the House Higher Education Committee.

Branch has a bill connecting the amount of money colleges get from the state to the number of graduates they turn out.

$20 Million Gift For St. Edwards

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:16:50 +0000

St. Edwards University has received the largest single-gift in its history. Austinites Pat and Bill Munday gave a cash gift of $20 million dollars to the Catholic university. The money will be used to provide scholarships for up to 150 students per year.

How Do Texas Schools Rank on Obama's College Scorecard?

Bobby Blanchard — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:54:02 +0000

Texas schools rank low in costs but average in student debt on new college scorecards released by the Department of Education last night.

During his State of the Union address last night, President Barack Obama announced an online college scorecard that aims to provide information about college affordability for students.

UT Announces Free Online Classes

Wells Dunbar, KUT News — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:41:33 +0000

Beginning this fall, the University of Texas will start offering free online courses through the non-profit organization EdX.

The UT Board of Regents authorized a partnership with EdX last fall. As KUT News wrote at the time, classes offered through EdX are not for college credit; instead, participants can earn a "certificate of mastery." The university says its also exploring the expansion of online learning for enrolled students.

St. David's Gives $2 Million to Texas State Nursing Program

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:59:58 +0000

The St. David's Foundation says it will spend $2 million to help fund a master's of science in nursing program at the Texas State University Round Rock Campus.

The program would allow registered nurses to become certified as nurse practitioners, which means they could take on many of the responsibilities of a primary care physician.

Powers: 'Smarter Systems' Could Save UT-Austin $490 Million

Ann Choi — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:55:18 +0000

University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers says UT could save up to $490 million dollars over a decade by changing its operations system.

Powers presented the cost-cutting recommendations, "Smarter Systems for a Greater UT "at a press conference today. The recommendation came from a committee of local business leaders Powers put together last April. The committee put forward measures raising the prices of housing, food and parking, outsourcing some parts of UT’s operation and commercializing UT-generated technology.