Tag Archives: UT

Furloughs and pay cuts: Not just for school districts

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For public universities, too. Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System, asked state senators on Wednesday for flexibility to cut pay for faculty and staff and mandate furloughs to cope with budget cuts topping 20 percent. […] Kicking … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Who wants a “first class” university?

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Constitution says we’re supposed to have one, but the budget says otherwise. [The University of Texas] has been a member of the Association of American Universities, a group of leading research universities in the United States and Canada, since … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who wants a “first class” university?

Appeals court upholds UT’s admissions policy

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. In 1996, a federal appeals court effectively banned affirmative action in admissions at the University of Texas in a case known as Hopwood. On Tuesday, the same court reversed course, ruling that the university’s consideration of race and ethnicity … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Appeals court upholds UT’s admissions policy

UH gets a boost in its rankings

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for UH: The University of Houston’s quest to become the state’s next top tier university — a designation that would put it alongside Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University — received a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We get the college graduation rates we pay for

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a couple of related items of interest. First, from the man who would be Governor if we lived in a just world. In the last 30 years, Americans with only a high school diploma experienced a drop in average … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on We get the college graduation rates we pay for

UIL on UT TV

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When the UT TV network was created, I wondered just how the heck one school could fill out its programming schedule. Turns out there’s a lot of potential content available thanks to UT’s historic ties to high school athletics. “We’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Get ready for UT TV

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Longhorn television network, coming soon to a cable or satellite provider near you. University of Texas regents on Wednesday gave their blessing to the school’s pursuit of a so-called Longhorn network of cable TV sports programming. Regents met behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

From the “You get what you pay for” department

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Cut the budget enough at your flagship state university, and the quality of that university may suffer. Who knew? The president of the University of Texas at Austin warned Thursday that expected state budget cuts would put the school further … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on From the “You get what you pay for” department

New frontiers in sports branding

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Would you like your electrons in burnt orange or maroon? In a deal put together by sponsorship broker IMG College and Branded Retail Energy, a Dallas-based company that markets electricity through affinity partnerships, the schools will create university-branded power companies. … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on New frontiers in sports branding

The quest for a better solar cell

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this will be a big step forward. A research team led by [UT chemistry professor Xiaoyang] Zhu, who refers to his Center for Materials Chemistry as the XYZ Lab, has shown that it’s possible to convert much more of … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , | Comments Off on The quest for a better solar cell

Is the Big XII in UH’s future?

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now that we know the Big XII will survive, one question that now arises is whether it will try to replace defectors Nebraska and Colorado, and if so with which teams. Already, there’s a drumbeat for UH being included. Richard … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Big XII lives

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. “The University of Texas’ athletics programs will continue competing in the Big 12 Conference,” the school announced Monday in a statement. Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin released the following statement: “Texas A&M is a proud member of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What about A&M?

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On the one hand, there’s evidence to suggest that the Aggie faithful want to sever ties with UT and go East. SEC commissioner Mike Slive visited College Station on Saturday, according to Billy Liucci’s Maroon & White Report, and A&M … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What about A&M?

UT headed to PAC 10

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So says the Statesman. The University of Texas is virtually certain to abandon the Big 12 Conference for the Pacific-10 Conference when its governing board meets Tuesday. Texas Tech University is expected to follow along. Texas A&M University officials apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Green University

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Colleges and universities are on the green wagon. “Green is good business,” said Pedro Alvarez, chairman of the civil and environmental engineering department at Rice University. But it’s also about idealism. “It’s not only a prerequisite to get a job … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Green University

Who you calling not a real Texan?

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I can never tell if Richard Justice is being serious or silly – it’s too hard to tell the difference with him – so if this is intended as a joke, then I guess it’s on me. If he really … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

“Non-profit” college sports

Posted on January 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Really good read in the Statesman. One way to view Mack Brown’s recent salary modification, to as much as $5.7 million this year with performance bonuses, is that the University of Texas’s generosity has made him the highest-paid college coach … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

UH to raise admissions standards

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That was the idea, or at least one of them, behind the push for more Tier 1 schools – to take some pressure off of UT and A&M by providing more places for kids in the top ten percent of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More Tier One schools

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s some genuine good news from Sunday night’s chaos. Legislation intended to lift some of the state’s public universities to top-tier status has passed the House and Senate and now goes to Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to sign … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let the results speak for themselves

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Seems to me there’s an easy and straightforward way to resolve the debate that Burka and the Texas Politics Project are having over the efficacy of the latter’s Internet-based polling: Why don’t we compare the results they get to what … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let the results speak for themselves