Texas universities

For more than two decades, the Texas Dream Act allowed certain students without legal status to qualify for in-state tuition. The law was abruptly overturned last year.

Faculty groups say the Texas Tech University System's new curriculum policies are unconstitutional and unlawfully restrict classroom instruction on race, gender identity and sexual orientation. But university leaders have called the changes "common sense."

Allegations filed in the first five months of the new ombudsman's work challenged course content, DEI, academic freedom and employment disputes.

The governor said undergraduate tuition and fees should stay frozen after some public university systems weighed increases.

Even as policymakers and athletic administrators say the new era of student-athlete compensation has thrown a wrench into college sports, it's hard to get information about how much public universities are paying their players.

Opponents warned the policy’s vagueness could push professors to self-censor and leave students less prepared for the workplace.

The Texas governor expects an action plan later this week, saying he doesn’t see “any reason” visa holders should be employed in schools.

As students return to colleges and universities across the state, questions remain regarding discussions of gender and race on Texas campuses. Faculty with the Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University systems are dealing with the impact of new policies on their class curriculums, as West Texas A&M continues to face legal challenges to its drag performance ban.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board office of the Ombudsman has opened a new website where people can report alleged violations of state law in colleges and universities.

Following the Dec. 1 memorandum from Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent letters to each of the five presidents within the Tech system, calling upon them not to restrict academic freedom or classroom instruction based on viewpoint.