Texas higher education leaders say equal access is key to achieving alumni goals

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As the Texas population continues to grow and diversify, a pair of higher education leaders said Thursday that Texas universities and colleges must ensure equal access to their schools for everyone if they want more students to graduate.

“We rely on this work to make sure we give everyone that opportunity,” said Texas Higher Education Commissioner Harrison Keller. “If we don’t promote this so that everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute to our state, we won’t be able to reach our goals.”

Keller spoke Thursday at the Texas Tribune event on higher education and the Texas legislative session. He was joined by Brenda Hellyer, Principal of San Jacinto College.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Council wants 60% of Texans aged 25 to 64 to have a college degree by 2030, and as people of color increasingly make up the majority of the state’s population, the council is stepping up its commitment to ensuring equal access to higher education.

But as Keller and the coordinating board pursue that goal, some lawmakers want to defund diversity offices in higher education. Keller acknowledges that this can be tricky given that universities and colleges can host various programs within these offices.

“We need to take a closer look at how the institutions are organized. [and] what are the functions of these offices,” he said. “Some of them, for example, are working on Title IX compliance, which will need somewhere to live.”

In this session, State Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, filed House Bill 1006, which prohibits the funding, promotion, sponsorship, or support of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.

“While I strongly believe that public universities should allow for a wide range of debate and opinion, public universities should not use taxpayer dollars to inculcate certain politically controversial values ​​in students,” Tepper said in an emailed statement related to the bill, according to The Daily Texan. . .

During a Tribune discussion on Thursday, Hellier said that San Jacinto College’s DEI initiatives are aimed at helping male students with math difficulties.

“Our office is really looking at things more broadly,” Hellyer said. “I could call this work a student success, I could call it the creation of an affiliation. It’s about access.”

This month, Gardner Pate, Gov. Greg Abbott’s chief of staff, sent a letter earlier this month to government agencies and public university leaders saying they must stop using DEI policy in hiring and that hiring cannot be based on factors , “except merit”. “.

The policy supports groups of people who have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against, but Pate’s letter claims they violate federal and state employment laws.

Legal experts said the governor’s administration mischaracterized the practices employers use when considering diversity in hiring. But this did not prevent universities from acting on the governor’s decree. The University of Texas System announced on Wednesday that it has suspended all new policies that promote diversity, equality and inclusiveness.

With 64% Hispanic students and about 10% Black students, Hellyer said her college has a duty to “serve our community.”

“We’re watching what happens, but I just believe we’re doing the right thing for our community,” Hellier said.

As they watch the DEI bills move through the legislative session, both Hellier and Keller are also optimistic that lawmakers will use part of the $32.7 billion historic budget surplus to help colleges and universities reduce spending in the face of rising inflation.

“I’m more optimistic than ever in this session,” Keller said. “This is truly a unique opportunity to invest in higher education.”

Several university systems have already frozen undergraduate education for two years in exchange for nearly $1 billion in additional funding.

But Keller said that while it’s true that a tuition freeze would improve spending for students, the real problems lie in rising housing, transportation and food prices.

“That’s why a lot of people feel squeezed,” he said. “We return to the question of what guarantees we give students in terms of financial aid. And the way we package financial aid in higher education is based on more than just tuition fees.”

At the community college level, advocates are pushing for legislation that would overhaul how the state funds its two-year colleges, tying funds to how well schools do in helping students get into graduate or four-year universities.

Texas currently funds its two-year community colleges with three funds: local property taxes, tuition fees, and a complex public system that has not kept pace with other resources and currently accounts for less than 25% of community college funding.

“We’re doing it 100% and it’s going to be better for students, better for the state, and better for our communities,” Hellyer said.

Keller warned that the right investments must be made if Texas is to maintain and strengthen its competitiveness not only in the country, but in the world.

“We want to make sure Texas remains a top destination and continues to lead. This will increasingly depend on the strength of Texas higher education,” he said.

Disclosure: The University of Texas provides financial support to The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial sponsors play no role in Tribune journalism. Find their complete list here.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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