Educators across the state are watching the University of North Texas, as the school denies it overstepped the parameters of Senate Bill 17.

The legislation went into effect in January and forbids public colleges and universities from having Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices and programs.

The accusations were made after UNT faculty members realized the university changed course titles and class descriptions.

Brian Evans, Ph.D, president of the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors - said they first noticed the changes in May.

"You had about a couple of hundred of fall course syllabi that the UNT administration required instructors to scrub words like class, equity, and race," said Evans. "And then more recently - in October - the UNT administration censored over 200 courses in a similar way."

During a faculty senate meeting, UNT Provost Michael McPherson said the changes were not related to SB 17, but were an exercise to bring the College of Education into alignment with standardized testing.

Evans' organization, along with two other education groups, sent letters of concern to the university. He added that UNT administrators crossed a huge red line when they unilaterally censored course content.

"It appears that the UNT administration is doing the opposite of what Senate Bill 17 is saying," said Evans. "Senate Bill 17 was not about curriculum. Senate Bill 17 was about employment practices."

The groups want university administrators to reverse what they call the "scrubbing" of curriculum, stop censoring the professors work, and involve educators in any future changes to course work.





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Students at eight Arkansas community colleges can benefit from new micro-courses to prepare for the workforce.

The schools are collaborating with the Education Design Lab to create a curriculum of credentialing classes, or micro-pathways, which when combined, prepare a student for a job at or above the local median wage.

Lucas Paxton, director of digital learning at Northwest Arkansas Community College, said they are getting input from employers and community leaders to ensure students have the skills needed for available positions.

"We're seeing a transition to less need for the bachelor's degree, less need for the associate degree," Paxton observed. "They want that targeted training that's specific to the job that they have available. And so, these micro-credentials will give a quicker, less expensive pathway to those jobs."

He pointed out students can complete the credentials in less than a year, saving them time and money.

Other colleges participating in the collaboration include South Arkansas College, Arkansas State University in Newport and University of Arkansas Rich Mountain. Credits for credentials earned at one college can be transferred to other schools in the group.

Paxton emphasized the program enhances the relationship between schools.

"I would like to see us collaborate a lot more," Paxton added. "I think that will just benefit all of our students because they can go to different institutions with these micro-credentials, and they'll be immediately recognized."

Credit for earned credentials can also go toward an associate degree. Other schools participating include Arkansas State University Three Rivers, Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus, East Arkansas Community College and North Arkansas College.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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After a new union at Miami University was certified by the state in June 2023, its members are still waiting for an initial contract.

The Faculty Alliance of Miami represents tenured and tenure-track faculty and librarians at the university in Oxford. Today marks 463 days the union has been without a contract. Negotiators said they are focused primarily on job security, academic freedom for librarians and fair compensation.

Rachel Makarowski, special collections librarian and a negotiation team member for the union, said the annual cost-of-living raises the university is offering "would make living in Oxford untenable."

"We are really feeling that kind of tight pressure on our wallets," Makarowski acknowledged. "As well as the fact that they're devaluing us and our labor that is what makes the university work."

A university representative said it has been working "in good faith" and has made 11 tentative agreements with the union. Makarowski countered the university has been using stall tactics to delay finalizing an agreement.

Miami University is the largest employer in Butler County. Oxford is a town of about 22,000, where Makarowski pointed out its union members make up a significant group of residents.

"The faculty and the librarians at a university are really going to be influential on the local economy, on the local programming, et cetera," Makarowski explained. "All of us will really feel when we get a good contract but they'll also feel it if we get a bad contract."

On the most recent bargaining days, according to the union's website, the union has reached tentative agreements around grievance and arbitration, discipline and discharge, the promotion process and enhanced funds for publication and other costs for scholarly work.


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The first semester for Minnesota college students is winding down.

Supporters of the state's new free tuition program - which assists low-income households - say for those who haven't taken advantage, now's a good time to consider eligibility going into 2025.

Preliminary data from the state show this new program, which covers full tuition expenses for households earning less than $80,000 a year, awarded roughly 17,000 scholarships this fall.

Mike Dean, executive director of the group North Star Prosperity, said he feels those numbers are a "game changer" in removing accessibility barriers when it comes to higher education.

"We know that getting that post-secondary education or credential," said Dean, "is really the surest path to joining the middle class right now. "

Eligible households still have to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, as part of the process.

The latest application round, which usually begins in early October for the next academic year, began taking shape in late November.

Federal officials pushed things back after a tumultuous rollout of a streamlined system last winter that resulted in delays.

Minnesota's program covers the tuition tab for eligible students after they've exhausted any other state and federal grants and scholarships.

States such as Minnesota have seen enrollment gradually decline for undergrad students, and Dean said opening up the doors to more people - who otherwise wouldn't have been able to finish or pursue a higher-ed path - helps address workforce shortages.

"Research shows that by 2031," said Dean, "72% of all jobs will require some sort of education or training beyond high school."

He was referring to a recent study from the Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.

Program supporters stress that the Minnesota initiative can also help those interested in technical schools and gain valuable training for jobs some employers are having a hard time filling.