https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/nicholas-gutteridge/The latest news by Nicholas Gutteridge.enFri, 03 Oct 2025 16:18:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/03/texas-am-interim-president-tommy-williams/Williams replaces former president Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned amid the fallout over a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.By Nicholas GutteridgeFri, 03 Oct 2025 16:18:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/03/texas-am-interim-president-tommy-williams/Texas A&M University System regents on Friday named former state lawmaker Tommy Williams to serve as interim president of the flagship university.Students walk to class on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Nov. 15, 2022.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/02/university-texas-austin-trump-administration-compact/The funding deal would reportedly ask the university to adopt a stricter definition of gender and a tuition freeze, among other conditions.By Jessica Priest and Nicholas GutteridgeThu, 02 Oct 2025 10:33:49 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/02/university-texas-austin-trump-administration-compact/The Trump administration has offered the University of Texas at Austin and eight other schools across the country access to preferential federal funding in exchange to agreeing to several conditions, which reportedly include a stricter definition of gender and a cap on international student enrollment.Students walk down Speedway street on Sept. 19, 2025.Manoo Sirivelu/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/26/texas-a-m-regents-settlement-president-mark-welsh/Details of the agreement with Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned as leader of the flagship university on Sept. 19, will not be revealed until it is finalized.By Nicholas GutteridgeFri, 26 Sep 2025 18:19:23 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/26/texas-a-m-regents-settlement-president-mark-welsh/Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III and his wife Betty are greeted by faculty and students as he leaves the College Station campus after resigning on Sept. 19, 2025.President Mark A. Welsh III and his wife Betty are greeted by A&M faculty and students as he leaves campus after resigning on Sept. 19, 2025.Cassie Stricker for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/Federal authorities said the notes indicate the 29-year-old who killed an ICE detainee and wounded two others expressed hatred for the federal government and acted alone.By Uriel J. García, Colleen DeGuzman and Nicholas GutteridgeWed, 24 Sep 2025 08:39:54 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/R. Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI field office, speaks at a press conference after a fatal shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz stands to the left of Rothrock.Joe Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, speaks at a press conference regarding the shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025.Johnathan Johnson for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/20/texas-youth-summit-republican-charlie-kirk-memorial/Thousands gathered for the Texas Youth Summit, where speaker after speaker memorialized Kirk and encouraged young attendees to rise in his place.By Alejandro Serrano, Nicholas Gutteridge and Colleen DeGuzmanSat, 20 Sep 2025 00:41:29 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/20/texas-youth-summit-republican-charlie-kirk-memorial/Texas Youth Summit attendees recite the pledge of allegiance on Sept. 19 in The Woodlands.Houston, Texas: People say the pledge during the Texas Youth Summit on September 19, 2025 in The Woodlands, Texas.Mark Felix for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/19/texas-a-m-welsh-firing-professor-gender-mccoul/Officials have struggled to detail the exact reasons for the A&M professor’s termination, citing a technical issue with her course description. Faculty say the move was politically motivated.By Jessica Priest, Nicholas Gutteridge and Kate McGeeFri, 19 Sep 2025 12:32:32 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/19/texas-a-m-welsh-firing-professor-gender-mccoul/Classroom 466, where former professor Melissa McCoul taught her ENGL 360: Literature for Children class, inside the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Texas A&M University on Sept. 18, 2025 in College Station.Room 466 inside the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Texas A&M University, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in College Station. (Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribune)Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/18/texas-am-university-victoria-president-finalist/System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Board of Regents chair have stood by the new president amid criticism from some conservatives about her previous work around diversity and equity.By Ayden Runnels and Nicholas GutteridgeThu, 18 Sep 2025 21:34:05 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/18/texas-am-university-victoria-president-finalist/The Texas A&M University System officially took over the Victoria campus from the University of Houston System in September after state lawmakers approved the transfer.The Texas A&M Water Tower on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Aug. 18, 2023.Meredith Seaver for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/18/texas-am-university-president-mark-welsh-resigns/Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.By Jessica Priest, Ayden Runnels and Nicholas GutteridgeThu, 18 Sep 2025 18:05:05 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/18/texas-am-university-president-mark-welsh-resigns/Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III and his wife Betty are greeted by faculty and students as he leaves campus after resigning on Sept. 19, 2025. His departure followed criticism of his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.President Mark A. Welsh III and his wife Betty are greeted by A&M faculty and students as he leaves campus after resigning on Sept. 19, 2025.Cassie Stricker for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/17/texas-a-m-university-president-mark-welsh-support-letters/Some lawmakers have called for Welsh to be fired over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity content being taught in a children’s literature class.By Nicholas GutteridgeWed, 17 Sep 2025 19:06:37 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/17/texas-a-m-university-president-mark-welsh-support-letters/Faculty and students issued letters of support on Wednesday for Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III after some Republican lawmakers have called for his ousting.Texas A&M interim president Ret. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III speaks with student leaders before addressing the senior class during Elephant Walk on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Aggie Park in College Station.Meredith Seaver for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/10/texas-am-professor-fired-melissa-mccoul-statement/An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options.By Nicholas Gutteridge, Alex Nguyen and Jessica PriestWed, 10 Sep 2025 19:39:33 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/10/texas-am-professor-fired-melissa-mccoul-statement/The Academic Building at Texas A&M University in College Station is seen on Sept. 9, 2025.The Academic Building at Texas A&M University in College Station on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025.Adriano Espinosa for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/10/texas-cell-phone-ban-schools/The new state ban took effect on Sept. 1, and Texas’ more than 1,200 public school districts have adopted policies ranging from secure phone pouches to increased monitoring.By Nicholas Gutteridge and Jaden EdisonWed, 10 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/10/texas-cell-phone-ban-schools/Students eat lunch without their smartphones at Lago Vista High School on Sept. 9, 2025. The school requires students to stow devices, primarily cell phones, in magnetically locked pouches that also block cell phone service. The pouches can be unlocked in an emergency and when the students exit the building, using a wall-mounted key near the building entrance.Students eat lunch without devices at Lago Vista High School on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Lago Vista, TX. HB 1481 passed during the special legislative session which requires schools to implement a policy prohibiting personal communication devices. Lago Vista has implemented a policy where students stow devices, primarily cell phones, in magnetically locked pouches that also block cell phone service, the devices can be unlocked in the event of an emergency as well as when the students exit the building using a wall mounted key near the building entrance. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-am-video-professor-student-gender-identity-content/After the video fueled outrage, a professor was fired and two college leaders removed from their administrative roles for approving content inconsistent with the course’s description.By Jessica Priest, Nicholas Gutteridge, Alex Nguyen and Ayden RunnelsMon, 08 Sep 2025 23:08:29 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-am-video-professor-student-gender-identity-content/The Texas A&M University bell tower is seen on Aug. 21, 2024, in College Station.The Texas A&M bell tower on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in College Station.Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/texas-faculty-university-political-climate-survey/Professors’ concerns included the state’s DEI ban and new limits to faculty influence at colleges and universities.By Nicholas Gutteridge, Data reporting by Alex FordFri, 05 Sep 2025 14:45:44 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/texas-faculty-university-political-climate-survey/Many Texas faculty are considering getting a job in a different state because of increased political interference in higher ed, a recent survey found.The main building of the University of Texas at Austin, in 2012.Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/03/texas-universities-campuses-students-protests/The law banned “expressive activity” on campuses from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., among other restrictions. “The Court cannot trust the universities to enforce their policies in a constitutional way,” the judge said.By Nicholas Gutteridge and Jessica PriestWed, 03 Sep 2025 15:13:23 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/03/texas-universities-campuses-students-protests/Law enforcement take a protester away during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Texas at Austin on April 29, 2024. Several student groups are suing to block a state law that limits protests on campuses.Law enforcement leads a pro-Palestinian protester away in custody as they begin to remove demonstrators from an encampment set up in support of Gaza on the UT-Austin campus on April 29, 2024.Julius Shieh for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/29/texas-aclu-k-12-public-schools-dei-ban/The suit alleges the new state law unconstitutionally silences the viewpoints of students and teachers. The law’s supporters say DEI programs use public funds to promote political agendas.By Nicholas Gutteridge and Atirikta KumarFri, 29 Aug 2025 11:33:29 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/29/texas-aclu-k-12-public-schools-dei-ban/The ACLU and a group of LGBTQ+ and student rights organizations are suing Texas to block the state's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K-12 public schools.Temple, Texas - 4/17/25: JoMeka Gray teaches a class of kindergarteners at Kennedy-Powell Elementary in Temple, Texas. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas TribuneIlana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune