Latest news with #TexasHigherEducationCoordinatingBoard
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Texas lawmakers demand in-state tuition protections for undocumented students
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of Texas lawmakers called on higher education leaders in the state to protect undocumented students' access to in-state tuition, after the state agreed to end the practice earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Justice Department sued the state over the 2001 Texas Dream Act, which allowed those students to receive in-state tuition if they met certain qualifications. The lawsuit alleged this act violated federal law, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly responded that his office would not contest the suit—causing the law to be repealed through a default judgment. RELATED | Justice Department sues Texas over in-state tuition for undocumented students In a letter sent on Friday, more than a dozen Democratic state representatives called on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a 'provisional classification' that could allow students who previously qualified under the law to enroll this fall 'at the rate they reasonably expected.' The letter later said, in part, 'It is especially cruel and short-sighted to apply this policy change retroactively just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. These students made plans, accepted offers, and committed to their futures in good faith.' The lawmakers urged the board to use its rulemaking authority to create this classification — for example, 'first-generation resident tuition' — at least temporarily. They called for the board to release guidance to institutions that would 'preserve tuition equity for students during the transition period.' The lawmakers also noted the move would not override statute but would provide 'a critical bridge' until the Legislature could address the matter during the next legislative session in two years. Earlier this year, during the most recent legislative session, lawmakers considered bills to repeal the Dream Act and heard hours of testimony on it, but it was left pending and failed to pass. In 2001, the Dream Act had bipartisan support and was signed into law by Republican former Governor Rick Perry. RELATED | Texas' undocumented college students no longer qualify for in-state tuition In its lawsuit, the DOJ argues that a 1996 federal law, known as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), preempts the Dream Act. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a 'blatant violation' of the federal law. 'Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,' Bondi said. 'The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.' Legal experts talked to KXAN this week about whether the move by the Trump administration and Paxton's quick agreement allowed for any way for opponents of the change to challenge the decision. Josh Blackman, associate professor of law at South Texas College of Law, said the decision appears effectively final. Barbara Hines, an immigration law professor who helped craft the initial Texas Dream Act, did not share Blackman's assessment that it was the end of the road for the law. She said that in previous lawsuits related to the Dream Act or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, other parties have been allowed to intervene. RELATED | Law professors react: Texas will no longer provide in-state tuition to undocumented students According to the Texas Higher Education Commissioner, around 19,000 students will be affected by the change. The lawmakers' letter argued that the state stands to lose talent, which could affect the workforce and the economy. It said, 'This is not just a moral failure, it's a strategic and economic blunder that will be felt for generations to come.' Economic factors proved to be a driving force behind the Dream Act's passage in 2001. According to a 2015 report by The Texas Tribune, former Governor Perry said at the time, '[Texas] had a choice to make economically: Are you going to put these people in a position of having to rely upon government to take care of themselves, or are you going to let them be educated and be contributing members of society, obviously working towards their citizenship.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
American Military News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Texas Armed Services Scholarship program now accepting nominations
Texas elected officials can now nominate students to receive the 2025-26 Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP), a program from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 'Texas is proud to cultivate the next generation of military leaders through the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program,' Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. 'This scholarship not only supports our students' academic and leadership development—it bolsters our ongoing efforts to protect our state and our nation. I encourage Texas lawmakers to nominate outstanding young Texans who are ready to serve the greatest state in the greatest country in the history of the world.' The scholarship, with a maximum award of $15,000 per recipient, is for students participating in Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) or other undergraduate officer commissioning programs at Texas institutions of higher education. Upon graduation, these students will go on to serve in the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, or commissioned officers in any branch of the United States armed services. 'Texans have a proud history of military service,' Commissioner of Higher Education Wynn Rosser said in the release. 'The Texas Armed Services Scholarship honors that calling and offers support to our students seeking to achieve their higher education goals through service in our nation's military.' To be eligible, students must meet specific scholarship requirements and be nominated by a Texas senator or representative. Each legislator may nominate one student, and the governor and lieutenant governor may separately appoint two. Students seeking a nomination can find their legislative representatives online, but a nomination may come from any legislator. Nominations for the 2025-26 academic year must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2025. ___ © 2025 the Odessa American Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Armed Services Scholarship program now accepting nominations
May 14—AUSTIN — Texas elected officials can now nominate students to receive the 2025-26 Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP), a program from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. "Texas is proud to cultivate the next generation of military leaders through the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. "This scholarship not only supports our students' academic and leadership development—it bolsters our ongoing efforts to protect our state and our nation. I encourage Texas lawmakers to nominate outstanding young Texans who are ready to serve the greatest state in the greatest country in the history of the world." The scholarship, with a maximum award of $15,000 per recipient, is for students participating in Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) or other undergraduate officer commissioning programs at Texas institutions of higher education. Upon graduation, these students will go on to serve in the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, or commissioned officers in any branch of the United States armed services. "Texans have a proud history of military service," Commissioner of Higher Education Wynn Rosser said in the release. "The Texas Armed Services Scholarship honors that calling and offers support to our students seeking to achieve their higher education goals through service in our nation's military." To be eligible, students must meet specific scholarship requirements and be nominated by a Texas senator or representative. Each legislator may nominate one student, and the governor and lieutenant governor may separately appoint two. Students seeking a nomination can find their legislative representatives online, but a nomination may come from any legislator. Nominations for the 2025-26 academic year must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2025.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate passes bill barring universities from accepting money from 'foreign adversary' govs
The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit public universities and colleges from accepting gifts or donations from foreign adversary governments ― the state's latest effort to protect itself from potential outside interference. Foreign adversaries are governments that pose a risk to U.S. national security as defined by the commerce secretary, and currently include China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela. In November, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order barring all state agencies and public institutions of higher education from accepting gifts from foreign adversary countries or working with companies owned or controlled by "hostile foreign nations" to protect the state against potential interference. Senate Bill 1741, authored by Sen. Tan Parker, R-Bridgeport, and co-authored by Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, would codify the directive prohibiting higher education institutions from accepting gifts from such governments, and would also require any faculty member, staff member or student with access to "sensitive, proprietary, or export-controlled research or information" to undergo training on foreign influence and intellectual property theft. SB 1741 would also require universities to report foreign contracts and gifts annually to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Universities currently report foreign gift and contracts to the U.S. Department of Education as per federal law. The THECB would also create a reporting system. Parker said public institutions are "increasingly vulnerable" to foreign interference as they become more global, thus necessitating this bill. "By adopting this committee substitute SB 1741, we can help protect the intellectual property of our universities, maintain Texas' competitive edge in research and innovation and safeguard our national security," Parker said. A similar bill in the House, House Bill 173 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Grapevine, is pending in the Higher Education Committee. HB 127 by Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, would also bar public universities and colleges from accepting gifts from foreign adversaries and charge the coordinating board with reviewing and publicly posting contracts with foreign adversaries. It is pending in committee. Outside of higher education, the Senate passed SB 17 on March 19, which would restrict individuals, businesses, and government entities from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from owning property in Texas, excluding U.S. citizens and green card holders. Proponents say it will safeguard Texas from external interference, but opponents argue that it would constitute discrimination and harm the Texas economy. Other foreign interference-related bills up for consideration include Mineola Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes' SB 1273, which would establish the Higher Education Research Security Council to ensure research is secure and Bastrop Republican Rep. Stan Gerdes' HB 119, which would prohibit compensation for lobbying activities on behalf of foreign adversary governments. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate pass bill to ban foreign adversary gifts to universities
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SB 37 doesn't fix problems at Texas universities. It undermines faculty, students
Texas public higher education has been in the crosshairs of right-wing politicians since February 2022. That month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened 'looney Marxist professors' with the end of tenure after the University of Texas faculty council issued a statement affirming its faculty's right to academic freedom. Patrick's threats led to the 2023 passage of Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at universities, and SB 18, which weakened the protections of faculty tenure. Several Republican-sponsored bills this session go after higher education even further. But in my view, Patrick's priority bill, SB 37, should be most vehemently opposed by Texans who care about the quality of higher education in this state. In crafting SB 37, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, has abandoned the culture war language of 'wokeness' and 'CRT,' or critical race theory. Instead, the bill promises to provide more oversight of universities and promote excellence in higher education. At first glance, that may sound rather innocuous. But the bill has harmful implications for our public colleges and universities. It will lead to inefficiencies, undermine democratic processes and deny educational liberty and student choice, among other negative effects. SB 37 would create an Office of Excellence in Higher Education to oversee compliance in our public colleges and universities. But the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Board of Regents already provide such oversight. Adding another layer of bureaucracy will lead to unnecessary government spending and duplicate an infrastructure that already exists. SB 37 would also require that half of the members of faculty senates and councils be elected. Appointed faculty are more likely to align with the views of the administration, which would reduce the range of perspectives that would be offered in deliberation. The bill would also expand senate membership to constituencies outside the university and limit faculty membership to tenured faculty. Faculty senates in Texas already serve in an advisory capacity to the president, but under this configuration, only the most elite members of the university workforce — those with tenure — would even be eligible for service. As tenured faculty make up only a minority of the faculty workforce, this severely undermines any semblance of democratic deliberation. SB 37 would also eliminate minors and certificate programs that politicians determine are under-enrolled. But certificates and minors cost the university virtually nothing to offer. Offering fewer will effectively eliminate students' ability to seek the credentials they believe are best for them, regardless of the popularity of those studies. Additionally, SB 37 would place the core curriculum at each institution under the review of an appointed committee. This committee would ensure that 'courses do not endorse specific public policies, ideologies or legislation' — a vague provision that in practice could easily lead to state censorship of education. Like any bureaucratic system, universities could be more efficient in delivering the services the state has asked them to provide. A real inefficiency that should be addressed, for instance, is the increase in highly-paid upper administrative positions at universities that have increasingly taken the work of governance out of the hands of faculty. But this bill doesn't fix any real problems in our public colleges and universities. Instead, SB 37 implies that faculty are not experts in the fields in which they've spent decades working. It suggests bureaucrats are better at managing organizations than those who labor in them every day. And it contends that students don't deserve the educational liberty to choose the courses of study that they deem best. I'm sure if he reached out, Sen. Creighton would find faculty to be willing partners in making our universities the best in the world. Instead, he has proposed a course of action that will greatly hamper our pursuit of excellence. SB 37 is not only bad for Texas colleges and universities, it's bad for Texas. Pauline Strong is a professor at the University of Texas and president of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) chapter at UT Austin. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Senate Bill 37 would weaken public universities in Texas | Opinion
