February 3, 2010

Gene Trainor


University of Texas at Austin President William Powell has proposed an undergraduate tuition increase of 3.95 percent for each of the next two academic years at the state's flagship school.

In statements released Tuesday, UT-Austin officials recommended that tuition be raised from an average $8,936 this school year to $9,418 for the 2010-11 year. The total increase would be 5.4 percent, including a new $65-per-semester student activities center fee.

Tuition would increase 3.95 percent to $9,790 for 2011-12. The figures are based on a class load of 12 credits a semester. Room and board costs will start at $8,184 next school year, officials said.

February 3, 2010

Brian Thevenot

In a cultural Mecca like Austin, it’s hardly a surprise that the proposed closing of the renowned Cactus Café on the University of Texas at Austin campus — an icon to many locals, but a bar catering largely to non-students in the view of some cost-cutting administrators — would cause an uproar.

“I went to the Cactus Café the night before my oral exams” for a doctorate from UT, said Michael Scully, who echoed many others in imploring UT-Austin President Bill Powers to allow newly offered private fundraising efforts to save the Cactus, which is run by the student union. “I’ve gone to 125 shows there. I would have been happy all these years to have donated to Cactus Café. I didn’t realize I could, or that it was necessary. I just went there to see a show and get my three fingers of whiskey.”

February 11, 2010

Press Release

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has created a new academic department devoted to studying the experiences of African Americans, indigenous Africans and people of African descent around the world and an affiliated institute that will focus on urban policy.

The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies was formally established by the state's Higher Education Coordinating Board in November and is preparing to hire faculty and offer courses and degrees by the fall. The department will work closely with the new Institute for Critical Urban Policy, which has been created with the support of members of the Texas legislature.

February 17, 2010

By Praveen Sathianathan

Wednesday’s faculty senate meeting featured updates from members of the university’s curriculum committee, SMU President R. Gerald Turner, and a presentation to state legislator Dan Branch.

Political science professor Harold Stanley told those present on the status of the review on the university’s curriculum, by giving them a timeline and then informing them of what was to come.

He said the charge was given to the committee, in April 2008, to review, devise and propose changes to the university’s General Education Curriculum. 

Representative Dan Branch was present at the announcement of the new Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Joining legislative colleagues Rep. Sylvester Turner and Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, Branch applauded the $1 million gift awarded by alumnus Joe Jamail to support an endowed chair for the department.

Over 3,000 were on hand to see Rep. Branch, Rep. Eissler and Senator Shapiro receive the Friend of Education Award at the 2010 TCEA Education Summit. The legislators received the award for passing HB 4294, a bill Branch authored to provide more choice to school districts in delivering relevant, cutting-edge instructional materials to their students.