A new trend in Texas higher education is the process of fee consolidation: the combining of several mandatory fees into one mandatory, consolidated fee charged to students. First implemented by Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University San Antonio in May 2012, effective for the fall 2012 semester, consolidated fees have since been adopted by 11 more Texas general education institutions (TAMUS 2012, 62-67). Of the 13 universities that have consolidated fees, all but one have officially named them a “University Services Fee,” and the average consolidated fee costs approximately $908.33 for a resident undergraduate student enrolled in a 15-hour semester.
Texas Professors Threaten to Leave
Nearly 70% of Texas university professors are not recommending Texas to their colleagues in other states, and more than a quarter are considering leaving next year, according to a new poll by the American Association of University Professors. Texas professors told surveyors their dissatisfaction stems from “political interference and widespread dissatisfaction with the state of...