A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
The A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology.
Texas A&M did not have good cause to fire a professor after a video of a gender lesson created a political storm, and the school failed to follow due process, a faculty appeal committee found.
University officials dispute the faculty council’s conclusion. Melissa McCoul lost her job after a video of a classroom debate went viral.
The proposal appears to mark the first time a Texas university system offers definitions of what kind of instruction related to race and gender should not be permitted.
Welsh had pushed for a full payout of the remainder of his contract, something that appears to have been a source of tension between Welsh and top administrators, records show.
Some students and professors say recent changes and scandals chill speech at universities. Others argue that conservative opinions can now be shared more freely.
State Rep. Brian Harrison has been on a crusade against Texas universities, scouring course catalogs and university websites for examples of “gender ideology” or LGBTQ+ curriculum, and riling up his X followers about “liberal indoctrination” on campuses.
Williams replaces former president Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned amid the fallout over a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.
Details of the agreement with Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned as leader of the flagship university on Sept. 19, will not be revealed until it is finalized.
Officials have struggled to detail the exact reasons for the A&M professor’s termination, citing a technical issue with her course description. Faculty say the move was politically motivated.
Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.
Some lawmakers have called for Welsh to be fired over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity content being taught in a children’s literature class.
The university's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott called for the student's expulsion.
An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options.
After the video fueled outrage, a professor was fired and two college leaders removed from their administrative roles for approving content inconsistent with the course’s description.
In an interview with the Tribune, Chancellor Glenn Hegar also said he would prioritize student outcomes over big projects and skirted questions about diversity and academic freedom.
Students told the Tribune they have deleted social media accounts, socialize less and steer clear of charged topics to avoid becoming targets of immigration authorities.
More than 250 students in Texas had their status revoked in recent weeks. Despite the reversal, federal attorneys say they’re developing policies to resume terminations.
The Trump administration has said it has revoked the visas of more than 300 international students across the country in the last three weeks.
Fast-growing Georgetown plans to pump 89 million gallons a day from the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer but the project is being fought by Bryan, College Station and Texas A&M University, which depend on the same water.
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.
Sources indicate the board has narrowed its search to five candidates: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, Texas A&M Foundation President Tyson Voelkel, University of Alabama President Stuart Bell and state Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin.
The designations come at a tumultuous time for universities as funding could be cut off and efforts to end tenure continue.
Abbott's comments came after A&M invited staffers and students to attend a conference that a conservative activist said broke the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In his new role, Rosser will be responsible for helping Texas meet its goal to increase the number of Texans ages 25 to 34 with a postsecondary credential to 60%by 2030.
At least a third of respondents at UT-Austin, UT-Dallas and Texas A&M said they’re not sure administrators at their universities protect free speech on campus.
Faculty senates have long played a key role in developing curriculum and protecting open inquiry. State leaders have also accused them of liberal indoctrination.
Staff relations continue to be important for Mark Welsh III as he rebuilds trust after a hiring controversy and universities brace for legislation targeting faculty senates.
After conservative criticism over the LGBTQ+ minor, university officials started looking at all its programs. Faculty say they were excluded from the process.
The students saw the move as part of a political environment that has become increasingly hostile against LGBTQ+ people in Texas.
Sharp leaves after having transformed the institution, embedding it into state government, expanding its reach and boosting its academic and athletic reputation.
The new fines underscore the challenges college students face when looking for affordable housing — and how cities struggle to provide it.
A nuclear power plant hasn’t been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the state’s growing need for on-demand power.
Professors and students on the Doha campus are devastated by the Board of Regents’ sudden decision to shutter the school by 2028.
The Texas A&M Board cited heightened instability in the Middle East as the reason to end its contract with the Qatar Foundation to run the branch campus. The foundation accuses the board of falling prey to a “disinformation campaign.”
Welsh served as interim president of the flagship university for a little over four months after the prior president resigned in the midst of a hiring scandal that drew national attention.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named the former dean and four-star general as the sole finalist for president Friday. Many believe Welsh is the right person to move the university forward after a pair of controversies bruised the school’s morale.
A&M System Chancellor John Sharp will recommend Welsh, a retired Air Force general, as the sole finalist for the job at a Board of Regents meeting later this week. Welsh has held the position in the interim since July.
Texas continues to struggle with maternal mortality and morbidity, despite a decade of tracking and reviewing these cases. Four new research centers will pilot innovative solutions.
If approved, the new fund would provide tens of millions of dollars to the University of Houston, Texas Tech, Texas State University and University of North Texas.
Mark Welsh said that Texas A&M will stay the course on many controversial changes made by former President Kathy Banks. Professors welcomed Welsh’s commitment to faculty input moving forward.
The judge tossed the suit after the university argued a new state law that will go into effect in January, Senate Bill 17, already prohibits preferential treatment in hiring at public universities.
In an interview for The Texas Tribune Festival, the journalist urged Texans to organize in response to the state’s book bans and restrictions on public school lessons.
The guidance asks universities in the system to avoid using the acronym DEI on their websites and walk a fine line between organizing events that “support diversity in a general way” but don’t “promote preferential treatment of any particular group.”
Impeachment at all levels of government are becoming more common, a political scientist said. It could make the political tool pointless.
Some members of the university system’s board of regents said they wanted to promote conservative causes at the flagship campus and resisted efforts to hire journalism professor Kathleen O. McElroy, who they believed would work counter to those goals.
A new internal report, conducted by the university system’s office of general counsel, also looked into Texas A&M’s decision to temporarily suspend a respected opioids expert after she was accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a lecture.
In his first comments as interim president, Mark A. Welsh IIII cast recent concerns over political interference in Texas A&M’s employment decisions as “communication breakdowns.”
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham alleged Wednesday that opioids expert Joy Alonzo told students in a guest lecture that “Your Lt. Governor says those kids deserve to die.” Alonzo denied the claims.
The system’s board also plans to formally appoint an interim president after Katherine Banks resigned last week following news that the school changed its job offer to Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor, after outcries from conservative groups.
The university has been rattled by two cases in which university officials were apparently rushed into making faculty employment decisions due to political pressure.
The professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
In the fallout from A&M’s failure to hire Kathleen McElroy, students and alumni lament the missed opportunity to revive the university’s journalism program and provide students with mentorship.
“The recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,” Banks wrote in her resignation letter. “The negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.”
M. Katherine Banks told faculty she was unaware of successive, diminished offers to Kathleen O. McElroy, who was recruited to revive a journalism program. Professors demanded an investigation.
The university announced the hiring of Kathleen McElroy, a Black former New York Times journalist, but later backtracked on its offer amid conservative pushback.
The university celebrated its decision to hire Kathleen McElroy to revive its journalism program. She says she’s staying at UT after she felt judged because of her race and gender.
Texans who aren’t sure about college have several pathways to well-paying jobs. Here’s how those programs prepare people for careers when a four-year degree may not fit.
Students with disabilities can succeed in college with the right kind of help. There are programs that can support them. The programs help them live on their own, find jobs, and make a difference where they live.
Students with disabilities can find success in college, live independently and get jobs with the right kind of help. Here are college programs that provide support.
Many Texas residents can opt for a variety of different educational programs that are shorter, more appropriate to their needs and often cost less than a bachelor’s degree.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s expected ruling on two cases challenging the policy commonly known as affirmative action in college admissions.
Microchips are increasingly present in every day life, from phones and laptops to cars and washing machines. Gov. Greg Abbott approved last week a stimulus package in an effort to shore up the supply chain after the pandemic’s disruptions.
A new version of Senate Bill 17 expected to be considered by the House’s Higher Education Committee on Monday would still ban DEI offices and prohibit required diversity training, but it would open the door for university boards of regents to approve such programs in certain circumstances.
While the proposed tenure ban will likely face steep opposition in the Texas House, faculty say lawmakers’ recent attacks on higher education have raised concerns about whether Texas is the best state to build their career.
A poll conducted by the Council of Principal Investigators, an elected group of faculty who help oversee research activity at the school, found respondents distrust the president’s decision making since she took the helm nearly two years ago.
Texas lawmakers are poised to create a new multibillion-dollar endowment to boost emerging research universities in national rankings. But faculty members say banning diversity offices and tenure would stymie those efforts.
Many Texas universities don’t have early-voting locations on campus. And state laws regarding voter ID and registration make it hard to turn out younger voters, advocates say.
High-money donors are concentrated on larger boards, including those of the University of Texas System and Texas A&M University System.
The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the least-expensive schools in the University of Texas System, while Texas A&M University-San Antonio is one of the most expensive in its system.
UT-Austin professor Richard Lowery is represented by America First Legal — a group created by Stephen Miller, a policy adviser for former President Donald Trump, and Jonathan Mitchell, a former solicitor general for Texas and the legal architect of the state’s six-week abortion ban.
Faculty members say Banks could have been more communicative and transparent about a variety of organizational changes she put in motion during her first year as president.
While the risk of exposure to monkeypox remains low, health experts say college students living in close proximity to each other could spur outbreaks. They encourage schools to share their plans and relevant information about the virus.
The chancellor instructed universities and agencies in the system to dissolve all agreements, especially those related to academics, research and intellectual property.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to revoke tenure for professors teaching lessons about race that he disagrees with. It’s a new chapter of an old fight between academics and populist politicians.
The student newspaper will continue as an online-only news organization after the spring semester. But the university’s unilateral decision to end the print edition without student input has students and faculty concerned about its editorial independence.
As Texas universities and colleges begin a fifth semester during the COVID-19 pandemic, many students say they are struggling with uncertainty and an indifference toward school and the future.
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Sharp talked about how higher ed survives the pandemic, the obstacles to running a world-class public university and the future of college football.
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University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either.
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Jay Hartzell said the switch to the Southeastern Conference was the best thing for UT-Austin’s student athletes and the university. Texas senators expressed disdain for the move and questioned how it came about.
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Rep. Jim Murphy said lawmakers selected projects that would address the state’s nursing and medical professional shortages as the COVID-19 pandemic reiterated additional need for skilled workers.