Tag Archives: Texas Colleges

Today in Texas History – September 21

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From the Annals of Higher Education – In 1925, University Junior College (now San Antonio College) opened in San Antonio  with an enrollment of 200 students. SAC is the oldest public junior college in Texas still in operation.  The first classes met in the Main High School building.  The school was initially under the administration of the University of Texas, but the state attorney general ruled in December 1925 that operation of a junior college by the University of Texas violated the state constitution.  The college was renamed San Antonio Junior College and control was given over to the San Antonio board of education for the second year of operation.  The school was given its current name in 1948, and relocated to a thirty-seven-acre campus on San Pedro Avenue in the Tobin Hill district. SAC is now operated by the  Alamo Community College District.  The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students and an average annual enrollment of 16,000 other-than-credit students. San Antonio College is the largest single-campus community college in Texas.

Image of the Gnome Ranger – official mascot of SAC.

Supreme Court Upholds UT-Austin’s Admission Standars

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The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s admissions process which gives a small advantage to black and Hispanic applicants.  The decision yet again allows US colleges to use of affirmative action in their admissions procedures.   The 4-3 vote was a defeat for Sugar Land’s favorite litigant Abigail Fisher who has repeatedly claimed that she was unfairly denied admission because of her whiteness.  After being denied admission into UT-Austin in 2008, she has been relentless in her campaign to end even the slight hint of affirmative action that UT-Austin uses in an attempt to preserve some diversity on the 40 Acres.  Fisher – who did not qualify for automatic admission – claimed that black and Hispanic students who were less qualified got in over her.  But Thursday’s decision brings her case to a close. The ruling will likely have national implications in that the Court has again reaffirmed that colleges have some leeway to use affirmative action in picking their students.

What’s in a Name?

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The 93 year old South Texas College of Law has decided to change its name.  The only independent law school in Texas will soon be known as the Houston College of Law.  The STCOL board apparently believed that the school needed an even closer association with its home city.  Board Chairman J. Ken Johnson commented on the change

The law school has been an integral part of downtown Houston for almost a century. Our students are within walking distance of some of the nation’s biggest law firms and the city’s courthouses are in our back yard. With our diverse student body that mirrors Houston’s population, we will remain dedicated to educating future generations of attorneys.

Red for one does not really view Houston as being in South Texas.  Houston falls into its own category.  Will this require a lot of resume changing?

Clickbait of the Day – Houston Chronicle Ranks Texas Universities from Most to Least Conservative

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Red doesn’t truck much with clickbait, but recognizes that his readers just might.  The Houston Chronicle has ranked Texas Universities from the most to least conservative.  Dallas Baptist University bests some heavy competition to rank number 1 as the most conservative college in Texas.  Not surprisingly, Texas A&M comes in at number 2 and is considered to be the largest conservative school in the U.S. – mostly by virtue of it being one of the largest colleges around.   Red doesn’t have the patience to make it through the entire list, but is guessing that the least conservative school will be either Trinity in San Antonio or Austin College in Sherman.

Was UH Chancellor Khator Turned Down by Indiana?

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Unconfirmed reports from inside University of Houston are that UH Chancellor Renu Khator was turned down last year by the University of Indiana.  Khator holds a Ph.D from Purdue University – so a desire to move back to Indiana seems plausible at least.  The apparent reason Khator was rejected is that UH’s student retention rate is too low.  The retention rate measures the percentage of students who enroll and stay in school.  Statistics for UH show fairly pathetic retention and graduation rates.  For the 2010 entering class (the last class for which 4 years of statistics have been published by UH) the average annual retention rate is 35.5% and the graduation rate within 4 years is 22.7%.  To be fair, most UH students are not graduating within 4 years.  However, looking at longer term graduation rates, shows that on average UH graduates about 50% of an entering class with 6 to 7 years.   So at least one-half of the students who enroll at UH fail to get a degree from that school.  You can see the full statistics here.

Retention rates are impacted by failure rates.  Students who fail classes are obviously more likely to be discouraged and drop out or move to another school.  So reports are that Khator has implemented a new policy.  No more than 35% of students in any particular class (e.g. Freshman English) can receive an F, D or drop the class.  This will probably help bump up retention rates as well as boost Khator’s chances of landing a top job at a more prestigious institution.  It’s all about the students after all.

Today in Texas History – February 24

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From the Annals of the Police State – In 1969, approximately 100 Texas Rangers, local lawmen, and state police descended on Wiley College in a wild overreaction to a series of nonviolent student demonstrations on the campus.  Wiley, in Marshall, is the oldest black college west of the Mississippi River.  The students were demonstrating over faculty hiring practices, primitive dormitory facilities, and cutbacks in the intercollegiate athletic program. The police undertook a massive search for concealed weapons in the dorms – something the right-wing would now have to condemn but undoubtedly condoned because black students were the ones targeted.  The search turned up nothing and only resulted in the campus being closed for several weeks.  The demonstrations continued after the police raid and ultimately resulted in the school administration’s decision to improve living conditions on campus.

Red’s Texas College Football Game of the Week

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We travel to Seguin this weekend for the showdown between Texas Lutheran and Austin College.

The TLU Bulldogs who are having an excellent season marred only by losses to powerhouses Hardin-Simmons and Mary Hardin-Baylor bring a 6-2 record into the game led by Senior QB Trenton White who is completed 65% of his passes with 23 touchdowns.  White probably has the distinction of being the shortest (at 5′ 9″) high performing quarterback in all of college football.  The tandem rushing attach of Marquis Barrolle and AJ Saucedo compliments the dynamic passing attack with Jekovan Holmes as the main target with 13 touchdowns.  TLU looks primed to claim another Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

The Austin College ‘Roos come into the game at 5-3. Senior Madison Ross has been carrying the offensive load with 112 yards per game and a 5 yard per rush average.  The passing attack under Junior Quarterback Cooper Woodyard has been somewhat anemic with only about 175 yards per game through the air.  The defense led by linebackers Brooks Ward and Charles Eneh has managed to keep most game close, but the ‘Roos looked overmatched by the Bulldogs this weekend.

Red calls it TLU 55 AC 30.

Photo of Bulldog Stadium from http://www.scacsports.com.