Latest news with #KevinEltife
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UT Austin invests $100M in permanent home for School of Civic Leadership
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The inaugural class of 100 Civics Honors freshman starting at the University of Texas at Austin this fall should have a full-time home by the time they're seniors. On Thursday, the Board of Regents announced a $100 million investment to renovate the school's Biological Laboratories building to host the upstart School of Civic Leadership. 'We have needed a place where civic education is focused on the foundational principles of our constitutional democracy,' Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said. 'The School of Civic Leadership at UT Austin is that place, and today we are giving it a permanent home.' The School of Civic Leadership was founded in 2023 as the newest of UT Austin's 19 schools and colleges 'to equip the next generation of leaders with the philosophical, economic and historical understanding needed to preserve constitutional democracy.' Currently the school is housed in UT's Littlefield House. Study ranks UT Austin one of Texas' 'best value' colleges 'This is a bold investment that empowers the School of Civic Leadership to fulfill its mission to prepare leaders committed to the principles of freedom, self-government and civic responsibility,' School of Civic Leadership Dean Justin Dyer said. During Thursday's event, Dyer and Eltife were joined by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and UT Austin's Interim President Jim Davis. 'With regards to classic education — classic civics to say the least — there's been a dramatic departure from those principle and precepts over the past one to two decades,' Abbott said. 'That's been to the detriment of this university, our state and our country. We need to get back on the pathway of ensuring that we're educating our students with the leading concepts that have led to the great country we are.' 'People can die of exposure.' Is musician payout worth the prestige of playing SXSW? 'I believe students will flock to this,' Patrick said. 'You'll have to build a second building, a third building and a fourth building because I think there's a real thirst by young people.' The renovations are expected to be completed in 2028. Existing programs within the Biological Laboratories building will be moved to more modernized lab facilities on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Texas System invests $100M in UT civics school: 'A crowning achievement'
The University of Texas System is investing $100 million in the School of Civic Leadership at its flagship campus in Austin. The "transformative" boost is meant to elevate the school into a leading hub for fostering future civic leaders and impactful change agents, board Chairman Kevin Eltife announced at a news conference Thursday alongside top Texas political leaders. The money will be used to renovate UT's Biological Laboratories building as the school's new home and create a "statement" building just north of campus, said Justin Dyer, the school's dean. It's currently housed in the Littlefield building, but the move will make the school more central and allow room for it to grow. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praised the investment during the news conference. Texas billionaire Harlan Crow, a Republican megadonor who has reportedly funded vacations for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and donated to the new University of Austin, was also pictured at the event, though he did not speak. "We've been hungry as leaders of this state to see the transformation and education that the University of Texas is delivering to this school," Abbott said. "It is absolutely essential that we as a state, the University of Texas as a university, that we be able to do the reformation ... in regards to classic education, to classic civics. To say the least, there's been a dramatic departure from those principles and precepts over the past two decades." The Texas Legislature in 2021 initially established the Civitas Institute, a think tank housed at UT and funded by the state, to foster intellectual diversity and explore foundational questions. In 2023, UT System regents voted to establish a school in which to house the Civitas Institute. Similar schools have been established across the country to restore trust among conservatives, who say are often outnumbered on university campuses and report distrust in higher education. Abbott and Patrick have taken particular interest in public universities over the last few sessions, particularly in rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and stripping power from faculty members, who the top government leaders have derided as too "woke" or liberal leaning. An attempt to end faculty tenure failed last session, however, Senate Bill 37 — a Patrick priority bill being considered in the current session — aims to significantly restructure governance in higher education by reducing faculty authority over governance, core curriculum and hiring. The school will offer its first undergraduate degree this fall, focused on civic honors. The Civic Leadership School offers a master's degree in civics and two minors — one in civics and one in philosophy, politics and economics. The school has 14 faculty members. Multiple incoming freshman who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at the Civic Leadership School gathered at Thursday's event to celebrate the news. Shane-David Willet said he hopes to pursue a degree in law and politics, and the announcement was "awesome." "Being a part of the first class, that can be a really special thing," Willet said. "You have the time to make real inroads. ... I'm really excited." Elia Davis, another incoming freshman, switched her major to civic honors after being admitted to the school, believing it was the best way to prepare her for a career in law and politics. She picked the program because of "how freethinking it is and how you can think about both conservative and liberal ideas without focusing on one or the other," Davis said. "It's a lot of free thinking, free speech, kind of going back to the old American ideals." Patrick touted the investment as another vehicle in which Texas is leading in higher education and soon in civic education. "This is a crowning achievement, and this will lead universities around the country to follow," Patrick said. "We've been given a magnificent opportunity from our founders and today is the day in Texas we begin to claim our inheritance once again." The institute has been criticized as being a conservative project because Republican lawmakers and donors helped organize it, the Texas Tribune reported in 2021, but the school has billed itself "pre-partisan" and although it's attractive to conservative students, it says it fosters discussion around all ideas. UT leaders say the school was founded on free speech and free inquiry, and explores education that is "needed to preserve constitutional democracy." The investment comes at a time when universities may face a funding shortfall due to institutional enhancement funds being cut from the state's budget proposal — depriving UT of an estimated $38 million — as well as sweeping federal funding cuts for research. Republican Sens. Brandon Creighton of Conroe and Paul Bettencourt of Houston said they would withhold extra funding for higher education institutions until universities assert their compliance with Senate Bill 17, a 2023 law that outlawed DEI initiatives and programs in colleges and universities. On Thursday morning, Eltife told regents and university leaders that this is a "trying time" due to "serious possible federal budget cuts to research and grants." "We are chosen to lead by example, to focus on our true mission, which is doing what's in the best interest of students and patients," he said. In an interview after the announcement, Eltife told the American-Statesman that this investment has been in the works for three or four years, and it reflects how the board's belief and confidence in this school and its potential. "We're putting our money where our mouth is," he said. "... The board is proud to make this investment, and we're going to do everything we need to to make sure this school is adequately funded and they can hire the right faculty, because our students are going to love this school." When asked about institutional enhancement funds, he said he has been in conversation with Patrick, who is supportive of higher education, and that he is confident higher education will be "happy" at the end of the legislative session. The boost is also one of the first major announcements since Davis was appointed to the top post at UT in February. "There is really other no time you can recall where this group of people has gathered before this event," Davis said, adding that it affects the "historical" impact the investment will have on students. A timeline for construction has not yet been announced, but Dyer, the school's dean, said leaders have been busy crafting classes, recruiting faculty members and preparing to welcome incoming freshman to the interdisciplinary program. "Crucially, this investment will position the University of Texas at Austin as the national leader in a growing system to restore classical and civic education in the heart of higher education," he said. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: University of Texas System announces $100M investment in civics school
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Texas System bans drag shows in campus facilities
The University of Texas System announced Tuesday its universities are banned from sponsoring drag shows or hosting them in their facilities, a few weeks after the Texas A&M System's board of regents approved a similar ban. 'If the board of regents needs to take further action to make this clear, we will do so,' UT System Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that this is a measure 'to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and executive orders, including any restriction on the use of public funds.' Eltife declined to say what specific laws they were seeking to comply with, but the move appears to be in response to recent executive orders issued by President Donald J. Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. In January, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to take all necessary steps to ensure funds are not used to promote gender ideology. A few days later, Abbott directed state agencies to reject efforts 'to distort commonsense notions of biological sex.' Texas A&M University System Board of Regents cited these executive orders when it passed its own drag show ban last month. The system was sued by the Queer Empowerment Council, a student group at the College Station flagship that organizes Draggieland, an annual drag show that was slated to take place at the Rudder Theatre on March 27. 'Texas A&M can't banish student-funded, student-organized drag performances from campus simply because they offend administrators. If drag offends you, don't buy a ticket,' said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national free speech group representing the students in this case. Judge Lee H. Rosenthal heard arguments Tuesday morning in federal court in Houston on whether to block the ban temporarily. It's unclear when he'll make a decision. Texas A&M has argued in court documents that drag is not expressive speech protected under the First Amendment. The system has also suggested it might lose funding if it disregards federal and state guidance and allows Draggieland to proceed in the campus theater. It said this fiscal year, federal appropriations made up 12% of its budget; federal contracts and grants 16%; and tuition and fees, some of which come from federally-backed student loans, 25%. Texas A&M, which is being defended by the Texas Attorney General's Office, also took issue with the characterization that the system has banned on-campus drag shows. It described the Rudder Theatre as a limited public forum and pointed out that students were allowed to dress in drag to protest the board's decision on campus a few days later. The UT System's drag show ban comes a few days after Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare urged the board of regents to follow in A&M's footsteps. O'Hare, who graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of business administration in finance in 1991, pointed out that UT-Arlington recently hosted an event that featured a drag performer. KERA reported that the event O'Hare was likely referring to was not funded by the university, but a student group. That is also the case with Draggieland at Texas A&M University in College Station. The UT System consists of 14 institutions that educate more than 256,000 students. The UT System Board of Regents' next meeting is scheduled for May 7-8, but it can call a special meeting before that time. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System, University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Texas System chief says schools will not sponsor, host drag shows. Here's why
The University of Texas System will no longer allow its institutions, including UT in Austin, to sponsor or host drag shows, Chairman Kevin Eltife said in a statement shared with the American-Statesman. Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare on Thursday urged the University of Texas System's board of regents to ban drag shows after complaining about an event at the University of Texas at Arlington that featured a drag performer. O'Hare cited a Jan. 20 executive order from President Donald Trump, which banned the use of federal funds in promoting "gender ideology," as the basis for the drag show ban. "As an alumnus of UT-Austin, I care about the reputation of the UT System," he said in his letter to the board of regents. "It is imperative the UT System leads in Texas and across the nation as a System prioritizing academics and student dignity." A day later, Chairman Kevin Eltife released a statement through a spokesperson saying the UT System wouldn't allow drag shows at its campuses. More: Texas 'most extreme' in anti-LGBTQ bills, advocates say. How supporters plan to fight back The system's board did not vote to adopt a new policy, as the Texas A&M University System did. Eltife said the board will consider further action if needed, but that all system institutions are expected to follow federal, state and local laws and executive orders. There is no current federal or state executive order explicitly banning drag shows. The Texas A&M System's board on Feb. 28 unanimously passed a resolution banning drag shows at its 11 campuses, citing Trump's "gender ideology" executive order. It said drag shows, which the board views as "hostile" to women, are not in line with the system's values. LGBTQ groups deny that the shows are hostile to women, instead defining the shows as artistic presentations of exaggerated gender expression that originated in the queer community. The Texas A&M System's ban prompted its flagship university to cancel the annual "Draggieland" show, an annual drag performance organized by the student Queer Empowerment Council. The bans by the UT and Texas A&M systems come at a time when students are still reeling from a 2023 anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law that prohibited DEI and LGBTQ support programs and offices at public institutions of higher education in Texas. The Texas A&M University student group behind the Draggieland show, represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, has filed a suit against school and the system accusing both of violating the "First Amendment's strict prohibition against viewpoint discrimination" and engaging in prior restraint. State lawmakers passed a bill banning drag shows in 2023, but a federal judge ruled the law was unconstitutional because of its restriction on speech. The Statesman asked the UT System about when it communicated the new rule to its 14 institutions, if the ban will be presented as a policy to the board for approval, and how will it affect student LGBTQ groups which are exempt from Senate Bill 17 — the state's anti-DEI law. The UT System did not respond to the Statesman's questions Monday. "All activities at UT institutions are expected to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and executive orders, including any restrictions on the use of public funds," Eltife said in his statement. "Our public university facilities, supported by taxpayers, will not serve as venues for drag shows. Our institutions will not sponsor them." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: University of Texas System schools can't host drag shows: chancellor
