August 29, 2011    

Jordan Williford    

For the past two years, students in Texas A&M's current student body were focused on getting into college, transferring into A&M or simply keeping grades up. During this same period, University administration prepared for sizable state budget cuts, which the Texas legislature enacted during a special session in Austin this summer.

Preparation for these cuts was a multi-year ordeal, but University President R. Bowen Loftin said the early work accomplished its goal.

"For more than a year we have worked hard to prepare for a projected decline in state appropriations resulting from reduced state revenues," Loftin wrote in a July 15 campus memo. "While this process was painful for all of us, I can now say with certainty that we planned accordingly for these difficult budgetary times."

Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas) visited Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX, and spoke at the 2011 Fall Faculty Commencement Assembly.  Branch was joined by TWU President Dr. Ann Stuart, as well as House colleague Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Denton) and TWU Regent Sue Bancroft.  After speaking, Branch toured the campus, visiting the new Student Rec Center and the Little Chapel-in-the-Woods.

Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas) toured the Dallas Love Field airport expansion with City of Dallas Aviation officials.  Also on the tour was Mark Updegrove of the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin and Nicola Longford, executive Director of the Sixth Floor museum.  The expansion plans will include an exhibit showcasing the swearing in of the 36th President , Lyndon B. Johnson, on the tarmack of Love Field.

August 26, 2011    

Jerome Weeks, KERA    

In 2009, the Texas Legislature created financial incentives for some of the state colleges to upgrade to what’s called Tier One status. Tier One status mostly emphasizes research. But KERA’s Jerome Weeks reports that efforts at the University of North Texas to reach the top tier include even the creative writing program.

Expanded online story:

Two years ago, something unusual happened in liberal arts academia. The UNT English department submitted a proposal to expand its creative writing program by hiring a major new writer for its faculty. But Warren Burrgren, who was then the dean of the college of arts and sciences (and is now UNT’s provost), suggested spending even more money on writers and poets.

August 25, 2011    

Reeve Hamilton    

At this morning's meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa won unanimous approval for a plan addressing hot-button higher ed issues of the moment like productivity, efficiency and accountability. The regents also committed to $243.6 million in investments that support Cigarroa’s vision.

As expected, turnout for the meeting was unusually high. In addition to a number of students and higher ed boosters, a handful of state officials were also in attendance, including Senate Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo; state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin; state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin; and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chairman Fred Heldenfels.

August 14, 2011

Andy Staples

The problem with the speed at which information travels in this era is that everything has to mean something immediately. In the Twitter age, we must be able to consume information, process it and explain what it means in the grand scheme of things within seconds. In the world of Internet journalism, it also helps if we can just as quickly declare each event to be either the best or worst thing that has ever happened.

Unfortunately, the world doesn't always hand us news in byte-sized chunks. Sometimes, an issue requires more time to resolve itself than our social media-addled attention spans are willing to give. Case in point: Sunday's press release from Florida president Bernie Machen on behalf of the SEC. Here is what it said.

"The SEC Presidents and Chancellors met today and reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment. We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M."

August 23, 2011

Reeve Hamilton

Since it was created in May, little has been heard from the Legislature's Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency. But today, its first public hearing was set for Wednesday, Sept. 21.

The committee is co-chaired by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who chair the higher education committees in their respective chambers. It was created by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus in the midst of controversy and concern regarding the direction that regents appointed by Gov. Rick Perry intend to take the state's public university systems — particularly the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System. At the time, the committee was derided by some critics as being part of an effort solely focused on defending the status quo in higher education.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 23, 2011

JOINT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE, EXCELLENCE AND TRANSPARENCY TO HOLD FIRST HEARING

AUSTIN --Today the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency posted notice for its first public hearing, which will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Room E1.036 of the Texas Capitol.

Co-Chaired by Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and Representative Dan Branch, R-Dallas, the committee was created by Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus to ensure that governing boards follow best practices when developing and implementing policy; look for major policy decisions to be adequately vetted and discussed transparently; and protect the excellence and high quality of our state's institutions of higher education.

Senator Zaffirini and Representative Branch also chair the standing higher education committees of their respective chambers.

August 23, 2011

BJ Lewis

Faculty members at Texas Woman’s University began the new school year with a pep talk on changes and challenges to higher education, featuring state Rep. Dan Branch.

Dan BranchBranch, R-Dallas, gave the keynote address for the annual faculty assembly and painted a promising picture of higher education.

“The great thing about higher education, I really believe this is an area we can make a difference,” Branch said. “I do believe higher education is an investment. Some people think that was a Clintonian expression. My view is, it’s easy to see investing in higher education is the right course for a civil society. If you educate your youth, it all comes back to you.”

Branch told the faculty that there were some tough choices to be made in the legislative session, but that cuts were not as bad as they could have been.

“I don’t know if that counts for much these days,” he said. “Usually higher education gets it worse than everyone else. [Rep.] Myra [Crownover] and I were flexing ourselves and pushing back against these forces, [and] we feel we did an adequate job.”

August 15, 2011

Erick Smith

A Texas state legislative committee chair on Monday canceled a meeting intending to address the possible move of Texas A&M from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference.

The hearing before the House's Committee on Higher Education was set for Tuesday and was to discuss "matters pertaining to higher education, including collegiate athletics."

On Sunday, the SEC announced it was delaying an immediate decision to invite Texas A&M to the league.

"While events may continue to evolve in the coming weeks, at this time, there is no immediate need to evaluate the merits of an athletic conference reconfiguration involving Texas A&M University and, potentially, other Texas public universities. If the current situation changes, our Committee is prepared to convene," Rep. Dan Branch, the chairman of Committee on Higher Education, said in a statement.