A vote on a long-debated plan to allow taller buildings and expanded development in the University Neighborhood Overlay district has been postponed until the fall, pushing back the move to add student housing capacity near the University of Texas. The postponement request was outlined in a pair of May 30 memos from Planning Director Lauren […]
University of Texas
The preeminent state university whose flagship is located in Austin.
Posted inPublic Health
UT Austin professors fear Trump administration’s funding cuts will derail life-saving research
Andrea Gore, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at UT Austin, knew from a young age that she wanted to be a scientist. She said she always loved watching birds and bugs. “Even as a kid, I would watch the nature programs instead of the sitcoms my friends were watching,” she said. John Wallingford was […]
Posted inAustin
UT hopes to play leading role in Austin’s evolving development scene
At Wednesday’s Urban Land Institute Austin breakfast discussion, interim University of Texas President Jim Davis offered a candid assessment of the university’s evolving role in Austin’s booming development scene. Once regarded as one of the city’s largest builders and employers, Davis said UT now finds itself competing for attention alongside tech giants and multibillion-dollar infrastructure […]
Posted inAustin
Central Health board questions UT contracts in light of DEI firings
Central Health leaders signaled they may seek to curtail or end contracts with the University of Texas’ Dell Medical School over objections to the university’s firing all staff involved in diversity, equity and inclusion programs in April. At last week’s meeting of Central Health’s budget and finance committee, discussion turned to the health care district’s […]
Posted inEducation
UT Austin, one of the city’s largest employers, is eliminating most remote work
UT Austin will require “almost all” staff members to return to working on-site, full-time ahead of the fall semester. In an email to the campus community Wednesday, UT President Jay Hartzell said leaders of individual colleges and schools will finalize logistics by early July, and the policy will fully take effect by Aug. 19 – the […]
Posted inWater
Leaking city pipes appear to be drought-proofing some Austin trees
Austin loses an estimated 21 gallons of water per person every day, mostly through leaks in the city’s water distribution system. Last year that totaled 8.6 billion gallons lost. Those leaks waste more than water; they drain energy and cost money. But there could be a small silver lining to the big problem of leaks: […]
Posted inRoads
UT pledges $13.5 million to cover I-35 from Dean Keeton to 15th Street
The University of Texas is making a $13.5 million down payment to cover Interstate 35 from 15th Street to Dean Keeton, a feat that will be made possible by a state project to widen and lower the highway through Central Austin. UT System Regents voted Thursday to approve a funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). […]
Posted inPreservation
State preservation case may halt plans for new athletic facility on UT campus
Plans to bulldoze the historic Steve Hicks School of Social Work building on the University of Texas campus may soon be derailed, with an alumni-led campaign to secure landmark protections winning over the state’s Antiquities Advisory Board last month. Next, the case will advance to the Texas Historical Commission, where a favorable vote could trigger […]
Posted inAustin
After 79 more arrests, Travis County attorney says continuing to charge protesters is ‘unsustainable’
Seventy-nine people were arrested on UT Austin’s campus during demonstrations Monday against Israel’s war in Gaza, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said. The most recent arrests began a second week of protests, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators again descending on the university’s south lawn. State police responded, arresting scores of protesters. Crowds attempting to block vans carrying arrested protesters […]
Posted inAustin
Students voice solidarity, outrage as conflict in Palestine escalates
As the sun set in Texas last Thursday, a somber crowd gathered beneath the university’s clock tower to mourn casualties of the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine. The vigil, led by the University of Texas at Austin’s Palestinian Solidarity Committee, was the second since Hamas’ breaching of Israel’s southern border in a deadly attack […]
Posted inDevelopment
Urban Land Institute offers a glimpse at plans for UT’s many real estate holdings in Austin
From the development of the life sciences Innovation District to land eyed for possible use by federally funded semiconductor research and manufacturing, the land holdings of the University of Texas continue to play a huge role in the development efforts of Austin, both public and private. Representatives from the area’s real estate and planning sector […]
Posted inElections
Travis County voting advocates fight for more access for students
University voting advocates on Tuesday took to the Travis County Commissioners Court to advocate for equitable voting access on college campuses on and before election day, specifically at St. Edward’s University and Huston-Tillotson University. Advocates – mostly from voting rights group Texas Rising – included students from the University of Texas and Huston-Tillotson. They urged […]