They are UT-Dallas, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The largest UT-Dallas donation, an anonymous gift of $7.29 million, will go to support research, faculty chairs and graduate student fellowships.

UTA to cut ribbon on expansion

The University of Texas at Arlington will celebrate the expansion and renovation of its Engineering Laboratory Building today. The ribbon-cutting will begin at 10 a.m., followed by tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The $22 million project added a 27,000-square-foot third floor to the building. The grand opening signals the start of a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration of UT-Arlington's College of Engineering. For information, go to www.uta.edu/engineering.

High schoolers can earn college credit online

The University of Texas at Arlington has launched an online education program to allow Texas high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit at little to no cost before they graduate. Classes at StateU.com begin Sept. 21 in subjects such as English composition, American literature, biology and government. A second round of online courses kicks off Nov. 9. Tuition is free and covered by the state in most cases. Students can enroll in a maximum of two three-credit-hour courses each semester with the potential to earn a total of 24 credit hours toward their college degree. Students will need access to a computer. For more information, go www.stateu.com or call 866-887-8665.