Texas consistently makes national headlines, and often it’s because of the state’s political battles in higher education. Last year lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion policies, programming and training at public universities. The Legislature toyed with the idea of doing away with tenure. Colleges and universities here serve as vessels for the state’s power players to virtue signal their morals and social fears.

It’s not just a vanguard in the culture wars, though. Think of House Bill 8, the historic investment in community college which completely revamps how these schools are funded and incentivizes student success. We could see other states replicate this model when legislative sessions begin in January.

“There is this overarching narrative about the politicization of higher education but when you dive into the public policy, there are a lot of different nuances and really important public policies that are shaping the future of higher education of the entire state,” said Sara Hebel, Open Campus editor in chief during a webinar we hosted earlier this week.

This is why we’ve launched Open Campus Texas, a collaborative effort with local newsroom partners to provide thoughtful beat coverage exploring how colleges drive economic opportunity, advance social mobility, and foster healthy families. We gathered our team on the webinar to discuss the way colleges and universities are shaping the state’s future.

“The state Legislature here in Texas really operates in a lot of ways around education through incentives,” Houston Landing Team Leader Jacob Carpenter said during the webinar. “I think our coverage, especially around STEM and community college will certainly be looking at that nexus and how that plays out and what that looks like for kids and young adults.”

Open Campus Texas is comprised of reporters and editors across the state:

• Shomial Ahmad is covering the colleges of Fort Worth and Arlington for the Fort Worth Report. 

• At the Texas Tribune, Sneha Dey covers pathways from education to employment and the accessibility of postsecondary education. Kate McGee covers higher education statewide. Both are based in Austin.

• Daniel Perez covers higher education at El Paso Matters. 

• Houston Landing is currently hiring its higher ed reporter.

If you missed it, you can watch the webinar in full here using this password: pfV45%Yp

As our network continues to grow, we’d love to hear from you. What should our Texas reporters be paying attention to?

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Elsewhere on Open Campus

In Chicago: Lisa Kurian Philip wrote about the recent arrests at Northwestern, where university police arrested and charged four educators for allegedly obstructing law enforcement at the Palestinian solidarity encampment on the Evanston campus in late April.

In North Carolina: Brianna Atkinson with WUNC broke down how each UNC campus is complying with the recent ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Some have already taken action to follow the directive, including the shuttering of DEI offices.

In California: For Calmatters, Adam Echelman detailed the challenges Deaf Californians face trying to find and keep jobs. “It’s easier to say ‘Deaf people don’t want to work’ than to try and address the larger systemic barriers at play,” said Carrie Lou Bloom, author of a recent study from the National Deaf Center. 

In Pittsburgh: In the wake of Saturday’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania campaign rally, Emma Folts with PublicSource spoke with political science professors locally about what spurred the political climate in America to become so volatile.

In Indianapolis:Claire Rafford wrote about one local’s project staging photos to recreate historic scenes of Black families on IUPUI’s campus, which was once home to a vibrant Black neighborhood. In the 1960s, Indiana University began buying up many of the homes and businesses in the area, and many Black families were forced out.

We’re a nonprofit newsroom that relies on your support. If this type of reporting matters to you, donate to Open Campus today.

Calling all local newsrooms 📣

We are accepting pitches now to Aug. 1 for the next round of our local story partnerships! We’re focusing on three topic areas this time around:

1. The role of college in rural America

2. Workforce training and pathways after high school

3. Shifting perceptions of college and the value of a degree

Newsrooms whose stories we accept will receive $10,000 from us as well as editing/coaching from our team. Learn more and apply here.

Our local story partnerships are already having an impact:

• We worked with The Assemblyto detail the struggles of an online-education initiative in North Carolina. Shortly after that story, the initiative’s CEO stepped down.

• We also partnered with The Montana Free Press on a story that explored how universities can play a role in fixing the state’s childcare crisis. The 19threpublished that piece, a first for us.

Other opportunities to work with us

• Applications are open for our HBCU Student Journalism Network fellowship. This is a paid, part-time, and virtual opportunity for students at historically Black colleges and universities. Applications are due July 31. Read our FAQs and apply here.

Keep in touch

We’re a nonprofit newsroom that relies on the support of readers like you. Donate today.

Interested in reaching readers who care about higher education in communities across the country? Get in touch or request our media kit.

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