Texas A&M University is set to mark the anniversary of the campus bonfire tragedy that killed 12 people and injured dozens more 25 years ago.

After conservative criticism over the LGBTQ+ minor, university officials started looking at all its programs. Faculty say they were excluded from the process.

KSAT 12 Sports and Christus Children’s shine spotlight on local senior student athlete.

Delays in the new FAFSA led students to take out debt, enroll in community college over their top-choice universities or opt out of going to college.

The students saw the move as part of a political environment that has become increasingly hostile against LGBTQ+ people in Texas.

The weeklong heat wave that baked most of the U.S. Southwest in temperatures well into triple digits is on its last legs, but forecasters are still urging people to be cautious.

Las Vegas has set a new record high for the second day in a row and Albuquerque tied its high mark.

Texas A&M’s president says the traditional bonfire, which ended 25 years ago after 12 people were killed and 27 more were wounded when the log stack collapsed during construction, will not return to campus.

KSAT 12 Sports and Christus Children’s shine spotlight on local senior student athlete.

The new fines underscore the challenges college students face when looking for affordable housing — and how cities struggle to provide it.

A new Texas A&M climate report shows a dramatic rise in 100-degree days, while the dangers posed by hurricanes, droughts and other extreme weather conditions are growing.

The sum is part of a larger philanthropic campaign to raise $6 billion for the flagship university in Austin.

Study done by Texas A&M University shows majority of parents plan to get children vaccinated with hopes of avoiding RSV and Flu.

The announcement comes after the university spent more than $75 million to fire former football coach Jimbo Fisher. A&M did not immediately say how much it will pay Elko.

Mike Elko is returning to College Station to be the new head football coach at Texas A&M.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named the former dean and four-star general as the sole finalist for president Friday. Many believe Welsh is the right person to move the university forward after a pair of controversies bruised the school’s morale.

A&M System Chancellor John Sharp will recommend Welsh, a retired Air Force general, as the sole finalist for the job at a Board of Regents meeting later this week. Welsh has held the position in the interim since July.

The buyout amount is the largest in college sports history.

Texas continues to struggle with maternal mortality and morbidity, despite a decade of tracking and reviewing these cases. Four new research centers will pilot innovative solutions.

If approved, the new fund would provide tens of millions of dollars to the University of Houston, Texas Tech, Texas State University and University of North Texas.

Mark Welsh said that Texas A&M will stay the course on many controversial changes made by former President Kathy Banks. Professors welcomed Welsh’s commitment to faculty input moving forward.

The savvy ex-lawmaker has expanded the Texas A&M University System and mollified state leaders. Some faculty, alumni and students say that accommodation has come at a cost.

KSAT 12 Sports and Christus Children’s shine spotlight on local senior student athlete.

The judge tossed the suit after the university argued a new state law that will go into effect in January, Senate Bill 17, already prohibits preferential treatment in hiring at public universities.

The guidance asks universities in the system to avoid using the acronym DEI on their websites and walk a fine line between organizing events that “support diversity in a general way” but don’t “promote preferential treatment of any particular group.”

Fellows play key roles in the most important work of the Tribune, helping with The Texas Tribune Festival and covering the biennial legislative sessions, education and the environment, among other important topics.

In this week’s episode, we discuss two cases at Texas A&M University that raised questions of academic freedom — and the fallout that ensued.

In his first comments as interim president, Mark A. Welsh IIII cast recent concerns over political interference in Texas A&M’s employment decisions as “communication breakdowns.”

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham alleged Wednesday that opioids expert Joy Alonzo told students in a guest lecture that “Your Lt. Governor says those kids deserve to die.” Alonzo denied the claims.

Texas A&M University marked its hiring of Kathleen McElroy with great fanfare — balloons, a banner and a signing ceremony.

The board also gave university lawyers the green light to negotiate a possible settlement with Kathleen McElroy after the university bungled the hiring of the journalism professor.

The university has been rattled by two cases in which university officials were apparently rushed into making faculty employment decisions due to political pressure.

The professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.

In the fallout from A&M’s failure to hire Kathleen McElroy, students and alumni lament the missed opportunity to revive the university’s journalism program and provide students with mentorship.

The president of Texas A&M University has resigned after a Black journalist’s celebrated hiring at one of the nation’s largest campuses unraveled over criticism of her diversity and inclusion work.

M. Katherine Banks told faculty she was unaware of successive, diminished offers to Kathleen O. McElroy, who was recruited to revive a journalism program. Professors demanded an investigation.

The university announced the hiring of Kathleen McElroy, a Black former New York Times journalist, but later backtracked on its offer amid conservative pushback.

The university celebrated its decision to hire Kathleen McElroy to revive its journalism program. She says she’s staying at UT after she felt judged because of her race and gender.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the practice unconstitutional, admissions experts say other states could look to Texas’ Top 10% Plan as a way to diversify their student bodies.

Students with disabilities can succeed in college with the right kind of help. There are programs that can support them. The programs help them live on their own, find jobs, and make a difference where they live.

Students with disabilities can find success in college, live independently and get jobs with the right kind of help. Here are college programs that provide support.

The state Senate originally passed a bill to ban tenure, but on Saturday it approved the House’s counterproposal, which enshrines tenure in state law.

Noah Bliss and Mason Mock are Comal ISD's newest National Merit Scholars.

KSAT 12 Sports and The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio shine spotlight on local senior student athlete.

Texas lawmakers are poised to create a new multibillion-dollar endowment to boost emerging research universities in national rankings. But faculty members say banning diversity offices and tenure would stymie those efforts.

Thanks to a new partnership between Palo Alto College and Texas A&M University, the transition for an agriculture student will almost be seamless when it comes to school credits and paperwork.

The system leaders’ decision comes weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop considering diversity in their hiring practices. Texas A&M University also recently changed its hiring practices.

Texas A&M University’s 70-member Parsons Mounted Cavalry saddled up for the Western Heritage Parade and Cattle Drive in downtown San Antonio Saturday.

Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation announced that it has received more than $42,000 in donations from the University of Texas women’s basketball team.

A Texas A&M University student who disappeared earlier this month has been found dead, according to media reports.

A San Antonio native and Texas A&M University student won $100,000 in tuition from Dr. Pepper this past weekend at the Pac-12 Conference Championship game.

Friday morning marks 23 years since the bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The Texas A&M on-campus early-voting location had the second-highest voter turnout in the county during the 2018 and 2020 presidential elections.

The Brazos County commissioner who represents the precinct where the university is located cited low turnout as a partial reason for relocating the polling location.

As the viral disease monkeypox continues to spread around the world, the U.S. earlier this month declared the outbreak a national health emergency.

Faculty members say Banks could have been more communicative and transparent about a variety of organizational changes she put in motion during her first year as president.

A wide receiver expected to represent Texas A&M during SEC media days in Atlanta on Thursday was arrested for driving while intoxicated, according to media reports.

Rittenhouse corrected himself on Monday saying he was attending the Brenham-based community college. Over the weekend, he made a splash when Texas A&M refuted his claim he was an incoming Aggie.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials posted a video to Facebook on Thursday showing divers removing suckermouth armored catfish from the river.

A jury awarded Evdokia Nikolova damages for past and future pain and suffering after finding UT-Austin illegally discriminated against her when the school denied her tenure.

The chancellor instructed universities and agencies in the system to dissolve all agreements, especially those related to academics, research and intellectual property.

The student newspaper will continue as an online-only news organization after the spring semester. But the university’s unilateral decision to end the print edition without student input has students and faculty concerned about its editorial independence.

John Harvey Slocum, the son of a famous A&M football coach, is seeking to unseat state Rep. John Raney, R-College Station.

Research from the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences found that prenatal exposure to alcohol in males can manifest in the placenta.

Research from the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences found that prenatal exposure to alcohol in males can manifest in the placenta.

So much is unknown about the new COVID-19 variant: the severity of the illness it causes, whether it can resist vaccines and natural antibodies and whether it’s more contagious than the delta variant that has burned through Texas and the U.S. for months.

Two students at Texas A&M University are suing a fraternity for more than $1 million after they claim they were hazed with substances that caused “serious bodily injury.”

Longtime Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Gary Blair says this season will be his last with the Aggies.

University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either.

A team of researchers at Texas A&M University, Northwestern University, and ImmunoGenesis has discovered a treatment for glioblastoma that has promising implications for the human version of the aggressive cancer form that grows in the brain.

Texas A&M Today spoke with Gregory Gause, professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, about the collapse of the Afghanistan government to the Taliban.

Many public university officials say they are moving forward with reopening plans as faculty and students worry about rising COVID-19 cases across the state.

The latest, most transmissible coronavirus variant is spreading rampantly in countries with low vaccination rates, and health experts are bracing for impact in Texas.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso was arrested in College Station on Tuesday after he reportedly tried to board a plane while in possession of marijuana residue and drug paraphernalia.

KSAT 12 Sports shines spotlight on local senior student athlete.

Scientists at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex (GHRC) have identified a variant of the COVID-19 virus — “BV-1” — that could present a new challenge to public health.

Turritopsis dohrnii, the so-called “immortal jellyfish,” can revert to an earlier developmental stage when injured or otherwise threatened. She said that in a few days, that cyst changes into a polyp and eventually these colonies form buds and a new jellyfish. “So by studying transdifferentiation in T. dohrnii, we can better understand how transdifferentiation works in general.”She said the process of transdifferentiation is poorly understood. Researchers are analyzing jellyfish for their possible treatments in muscular diseases, genetic disorders and even memory aids. “From a scientific point of view, jellyfish are very simple invertebrates that have weird and unique life cycles and capabilities,” Miglietta said.

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Editor’s Note: This article was published through a partnership between Texas A&M University and KSAT. Testing In TexasTexas has long led the charts in the number of SARS-CoV-2 animal infections, owing in large part to the Texas A&M COVID-19 & Pets study, in which researchers go to the homes of people recently diagnosed with COVID-19 to test their pets. People with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 should avoid contact with pets and other animals to protect them from infection and illness. AdAt this time, routine animal testing for COVID-19 is not recommended, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). Those who have recently tested positive in the Brazos Valley, Texas, region and would like to participate in the research by having their pets tested can learn more at the COVID-19 & Pets research webpage.

People gathered on the beach in front of Clayton’s Beach Bar during spring break on South Padre Island on Wednesday. In the early weeks of the pandemic in March 2020, colleges across the state extended spring break and then moved to online-only classes afterwards largely due to initial fears about facilitating the spread of the coronavirus. AdBut spring break for many is now coinciding with Gov. Ad“With spring break, the biggest high risks are going to be people who are young adults,” Cervantes said. “We encourage you to make good decisions during spring break, just as you did during winter break, and follow the university’s public health guidance: wWear a mask (double up!

Graduates at a Texas A&M University's commencement ceremony at Reed Arena in College Station in December. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Greg Abbott announced that he will lift the statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions starting Wednesday. Austin Community College, Baylor University, Paris Junior College, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Southwestern University, the Texas A&M University System, Trinity University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at El Paso are keeping their current COVID-19 guidelines — which include mask mandates — in place. Disclosure: Baylor University, Lamar University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at El Paso and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

M. Katherine Banks, dean of the Texas A&M engineering school, has been named the sole finalist for president of the flagship university. M. Katherine Banks, dean of the college of engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named the sole finalist for president of the flagship university based in College Station after a national search. AdIf approved, Banks will become the second woman president in Texas A&M history after Elsa Murano, who served in the role from 2008 to 2009. Texas A&M is one of a kind and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”Banks also oversees the Texas A&M System’s engineering programs. AdWhen Banks started at Texas A&M, the engineering college had a little more than 11,000 students.

“I feel like I’m in hell, like I’m in prison,” said Texas State University freshman Nicholas Ware, who spent three days without heat and power until Wednesday evening. Anh Adams, another freshman at Texas State, was forced to evacuate her dorm Monday morning after a pipe burst on the floor above her. Texas State officials did not return a request for comment. At Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, students have been without water, which has limited their access to toilets. “People have just assumed that that's not something they need to worry about right now.”AdDisclosure: Facebook, Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Ryan Boles, a member of the Corps of Cadets, has died, Texas A&M University confirmed. Image: Texas A&M Corps of CadetsSAN ANTONIO – A Texas A&M University student from Boerne who was a member of the Corps of Cadets has died, according to the university. Ryan Boles, who was a freshman political science major, died on Sunday, according to the Corps of Cadets and Texas A&M Today. It is with extreme sadness I confirm the death of cadet Ryan Boles ‘24, a member of the Corps of Cadets. Boles was a member of the Squadron 8 and was also a member of the Fish Drill Team, according to the Corps of Cadets.

The Texas A&M University community has continued to debate whether to move the Sul Ross statue. On Monday, the system Board of Regents approved yet another task force to determine how to tell A&M’s history through symbols on campus. The new “action oriented” task force will present their recommendations to the president and board this summer. Instead, many Texas universities decided to address diversity and inclusion issues by investing in diversity training, scholarships and professional development to boost diversity. For her, another task force just further proves to her that university leaders are prioritizing donors, while also “saving face” with the financial investment.

The flagship university is keeping most classes online through January as coronavirus infections soar in Travis County. The University of Texas at Austin is shifting more spring semester classes completely online through the end of January as COVID-19 cases continue to ravage the city and state. When UT-Austin shifted entirely online the week of Thanksgiving, average daily cases hovered around 240 in Travis County. Texas A&M University is also requiring students who live on campus to get tested within the first week of classes, on or before Jan 22. Disclosure: Rice University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

The University of North Texas saw a 20% increase, and Texas State University saw reports of cheating increase by one-third over the previous fall. According to Powers’ email, Texas A&M’s online learning platform, Canvas, tracks how long test questions are displayed on a student’s screen. According to its honor code, Chegg prohibits cheating and will share user information and activity with universities if they suspect foul play. Davenport said there’s even websites where students can pay someone to take their entire online class for them. There’s something questionable there.”Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Students who attend the University of Texas and Texas A&M University are being urged to take a COVID-19 test before they leave campus and head home for the Thanksgiving holiday break. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said getting tested can help families and communities feel safe and can avoid any unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus. In addition to getting tested, UT officials are also asking students to self-quarantine seven days prior to traveling and seven days once they have reached their destination, according to a report on KXAN.com. UT officials are also strongly recommending campus community members get tested through the university’s Proactive Community Testing program or through other COVID-19 testing resources in Austin. Both Texas A&M and UT will end in-person classes for the fall semester ahead of the Thanksgiving break with only final exams scheduled in December.

Texas Tech administrators said last month the university will host multiple in-person commencement ceremonies over a two-day period, as well as a virtual ceremony. At Texas Tech, students helped drive the effort to bring back in-person commencement. Lamar University and Texas Southern University are also planning in-person graduation ceremonies. Other universities plan to hold in-person commencement ceremonies throughout spring 2021 for those who graduated in spring 2020, depending on the status of the pandemic. Disclosure: Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Southern University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneThe Southeastern Conference has postponed this Saturday’s Texas A&M football game against the University of Tennessee to Dec. 12 after an A&M football player and staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the program’s total number of positive cases to three. A second player had tested positive prior to the South Carolina game. In June, 13 University of Texas at Austin athletes tested positive for COVID-19. Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University postponed a game in early September. Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Baylor University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at El Paso have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M University students will have a shorter spring break than usual in 2021, according to university officials. The spring break changes were announced via email to students and staff Thursday as the university reached its midpoint of the fall semester. “I want to thank and congratulate our staff, students, and faculty for their outstanding work in this very unusual year,” Fierke said in a statement. Spring break for students and staff will be Friday, March 19. To view the full academic calendar for the spring semester, visit the university’s website here.

The University of Texas at Austin said it could test up to 5,000 asymptomatic students, faculty and staff weekly. Texas A&M University trumpeted a similar goal of testing more than 5,000 students each week – about 7% of the student body. UT-Austin, which has more than 50,000 students, has only required students to be tested before attending football games. That included the 1,198 students tested for the first home football game on Sept. 12. Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of North Texas and Baylor University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Public health experts say Texas universities should increase testing of all students to prevent community spread of the coronavirus as classes resume. Texas A&M University reported 327 new positive tests the week ending Aug. 29, down slightly from the 371 it reported a week prior. UT-Austin, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University encourage participation in asymptomatic testing but stop short of requiring it. Texas Christian University does not offer routine testing for students without symptoms, according to The Dallas Morning News. Disclosure: Baylor University, Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Michael K. Young has been president at Texas A&M University since 2015. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneTexas A&M University President Michael Young will retire at the end of the academic school year, he said in a letter obtained by The Texas Tribune. Young has expressed a desire to retire and return to teaching and research as a tenured faculty member of the Bush School, Sharp wrote in another letter obtained by the Tribune. The creation of the Institute not only achieves President Youngs desires, it also will allow for an orderly transition from President Young to his eventual successor, Sharp wrote. Our hope is to have the new President chosen and in office by June 1, 2021, Sharp wrote at the time. Disclosure: Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

The Trump administration has been particularly concerned that professors could exploit their ties to China, and their participation in talent recruitment programs, to steal intellectual property for Beijing's economic benefit. NASA is restricted from using fund for any collaboration or coordination with China, Chinese institutions or any Chinese-owned company. No one in higher education takes security as seriously as we do at The Texas A&M University System, Sharp said in a statement. U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Texas, said the talent recruitment programs exploit our open and free universities." China is building an economic and academic institutions with bricks stolen from others all around the world," Patrick said in a statement.

If faculty members didn't fit in those categories and still wanted to teach remotely, they were asked to have conversations with their department heads about specific accommodations. Texas A&M will have around 1,800 faculty members teaching courses with an in-person component and 1,300 teaching online-only classes, Fierke said. But allowing faculty members to work from home because of individual safety concerns does not seem to be the norm, Kelchen said. There will be around 1,200 faculty members teaching courses with an in-person component. Disclosure: Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M University System, Texas Christian University, Texas State University, the University of Texas at Austin and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

The Lawrence Sullivan Sul Ross statue on the campus of Texas A&M University. Shelby Knowles for The Texas TribuneOnly the Texas Legislature has the authority to permanently remove the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue at Texas A&M University, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion released Friday. Those task forces will ultimately make a recommendation on how best to address concerns about Sul Ross and other monuments, Young said. A&M System Chancellor John Sharp previously opposed removing the statue, then later said that he supported the task forces' review. "While my personal opinion has not changed about the importance of Lawrence Sullivan Ross to Texas A&M, we Aggies must stand united against racism and love one another," Sharp's statement said.

Many athletics officials seized on that number, including UT-Austin Athletics Director Chris Del Conte as recently as last week. At Texas Tech University, officials are also looking at capping stadium capacity at 25%. The Texas Tech athletics department is projecting a loss of $14.1 million from interrupted ticket sales and other pandemic-related expenses, athletics director Kirby Horcutt has said. The Big 12 Conference which includes Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech and the No. Disclosure: Texas A&M, Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneThe Texas A&M University System is expected to begin offering free on-campus COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff by the end of the week. The university system will send out about 15,000 mouth swab test kits each month to be distributed across its 11 university campuses. System officials have $16 million set aside for the COVID-19 testing program, said Laylan Copelin, system spokesperson. The University of Texas at Austin, one of Texas most populous schools, will charge for a COVID-19 test. Disclosure: Texas A&M System, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas-Arlington, University of Texas at El Paso, and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporcate sponsors.