Tag Archives: college

NCAA has a March Madness expansion plan

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I feel confident something like this is going to happen. College basketball moved one step closer this week to an expanded NCAA men’s basketball tournament. NCAA officials on Wednesday presented to Division I conference commissioners at least two models of … Continue reading →

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March Madness could get bigger

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story you probably heard about. A recommendation by the NCAA’s Division I Transformation Committee issued Tuesday would expand the NCAA basketball tournaments to 90 teams. The committee tasked with finding “opportunities to modernize college sports” issued several recommendations in a 39-page … Continue reading →

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You are still free to discriminate against LGBT people

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. Campus Pride usually highlights the best colleges for LGBT youth, as expensive as they may be. But for the first time today, the advocacy group is calling out the worst campuses for queer students. “Most people are shocked when they learn … Continue reading →

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Tracking diplomas

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Tribune: Among young Texans who started eighth grade in 2001, less than one-fifth went on to earn a higher education credential within six years of their high school graduation. And rates were even lower among African-American and … Continue reading →

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Open source textbooks

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a great idea. The words “free” and “college” aren’t often used in the same sentence, but a philanthropic venture at Rice University is drawing attention for bringing them together. OpenStax College, a nonprofit publishing organization founded by a … Continue reading →

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What can you get for $10,000?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can now get a college degree – at some colleges, in some programs, if you’re lucky. Many were skeptical when Gov. Rick Perry last year challenged Texas public colleges and universities to offer degrees costing no more than $10,000. … Continue reading →

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Our education gap

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, we have one in Houston. The Houston area doesn’t have enough educated workers to fill all the jobs that local industry creates, according to a study released today by the Brookings Institution. That education gap, in turn, pushes up … Continue reading →

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How does college tuition in Texas compare to other states?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a previous post, John left the following comment: Out of curiosity how much does a year at UT/A&M cost? How does that compare to Ohio St/Michigan/Cal/UVA/Washington etc. I would think this is a good time to do the revenue … Continue reading →

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Higher tuition coming

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what did you expect? The 63,000 students of the University of Houston System could be paying higher tuition as early as the fall semester, Chancellor Renu Khator told a Senate committee Monday. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Khator … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Budget cuts won’t just affect public universities

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From my inbox, an email from the new President of my alma mater. Dear Mr. Kuffner: As you may be aware, the State of Texas faces an unprecedented budget shortfall of between $15 billion and $28 billion for the next … Continue reading →

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Public universities can read the writing on the wall

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With polling evidence suggesting that people are willing to accept some cuts in higher education funding, the only question for public universities and community colleges is how bad will it be? “I think all of us felt as though we … Continue reading →

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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 →

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What today’s budget cuts will mean tomorrow

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know cuts are coming to public education and higher education. Let’s turn once again to Steve Murdock, the former State Demographer who is now a professor at Rice University, to hear what that will mean for Texas’ future. Texas’ … Continue reading →

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Killing the DREAM in Texas

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Something else to look forward to. State Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington) has filed legislation that would abolish Texas law granting in-state tuition to certain undocumented college students. The 2001 law, written by then-state Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston), was a precursor to … Continue reading →

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More non-specific cuts discussed: Film at 11

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story about impending budget cuts to public higher education. Colleges and universities expect double-digit cuts. Financial aid may be cut, too. “There’s no way to get through this without somebody being impacted,” … Continue reading →

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Branch makes the case for stimulus spending

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know if that’s what he intended, but it sure is what he did. State Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said Thursday that Texas should consider seizing one advantage from hard times, which would be to let universities lock in … Continue reading →

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Reinventing higher education

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More stuff from last week to catch up on: Good luck with that. The state’s higher education agency called Thursday for sweeping changes in policy, including a revised method of funding community colleges and public universities, a greater emphasis on … Continue reading →

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Story on Texas’ “dropout factories”

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month I blogged about this Washington Monthly story about colleges with extremely low graduation rates. Here’s a Star-Telegram article about that, which contains some reaction from a couple of the Texas schools named in the original piece. One factor … Continue reading →

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Cutting TEXAS grants

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Paying for college keeps getting harder for a lot of people in Texas. Each year since 2003, the TEXAS grant program has had more applicants than it’s been able to help. In 2009, lawmakers added $110 million to the program. … Continue reading →

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Dropout factories

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people have recommended this Washington Monthly story about colleges with extremely low graduation rates, and now I’m recommending it to you. I’d never given this any thought before, but having read the story, it’s quite clear to me … Continue reading →

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68 is a difficult number to work with

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The poobahs of the NCAA are gathering this week to discuss the nuts and bolts of the new 68-team basketball tournament, and they’ve got a challenge on their hands. After meeting in May, the [10-member Men’s Basketball] committee asked NCAA … Continue reading →

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We can’t just cut our way out of the budget deficit, take 2

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some cuts cost a lot more than they purport to save. Public colleges and universities in Texas are absorbing a 5 percent cut in state funding by laying off employees, deferring repairs, scaling back travel and finding other savings. But … Continue reading →

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NCAA tournament expands

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

To 68 teams, which is a lot less than 96. The three-team expansion is much more modest than 80- and 96-team proposals the NCAA outlined just a few weeks ago at the Final Four. The move coincides with the new, … Continue reading →

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NCAA 96 on the way

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the reactionaries begin. The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams. Insisting that nothing has been decided, NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen nonetheless … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Old school

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Three weeks ago was my 25-year high school reunion. This weekend is Alumni Weekend at my university. I couldn’t attend either, but I could put together a school-and-nostalgia oriented Friday Random Ten. 1. Schoolhouse Rock Medley – Lager Rhythms 2. … Continue reading →

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College for $99 a month

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Behold the future of higher education. StraighterLine is the brainchild of a man named Burck Smith, an Internet entrepreneur bent on altering the DNA of higher education as we have known it for the better part of 500 years. Rather … Continue reading →

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Wash your hands

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

College football teams try to stave off a bunch of players missing games due to the flu. As players across Texas and the nation prepare for a new season, the high-tech world of college football is taking on the essential … Continue reading →

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The secret coaches’ poll

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Starting next year, you may know which college football coaches are voting in the USA Today Top 25 coaches’ poll, but you may not know how they vote at the end of the year. The final regular-season ballots in the … Continue reading →

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Tuition reregulation passes the Senate

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Off to the House. The Texas Senate unanimously approved legislation today that would sharply restrict the ability of public university governing boards to raise tuition. The measure now goes to the House. Lawmakers granted boards of regents virtually unfettered authority … Continue reading →

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More Tier I schools

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The Texas House on Friday voted unanimously on a plan making it easier for the University of Houston to gain elite status by gradually becoming a national “tier-one” research institution. Houston, the country’s fourth largest city, deserves a … Continue reading →

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Is the TAKS test at the end of the line?

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If so, there’s a lot of people who won’t be sorry to see it go. “We have counted on testing and testing only. And it’s caused a lot of angst in the schools,” Senate Public Education Chair Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, … Continue reading →

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More on lowering the drinking age

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve blogged before about the Amethyst Initiative, and the arguments for and against their efforts to lower the minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 to combat what they call “a culture of dangerous binge drinking” on college campuses. … Continue reading →

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