Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Encyclopedia
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the Texas
state government that oversees all public post-secondary education in Texas. It is headquartered at 1200 East Anderson Lane in Austin
.
The board determines which Texas public four-year universities are permitted to start or continue degree programs. The board also evaluates degrees from other states and other nations for use in Texas. However, operations of the various universities or systems are the responsibility of each university or system board of regents
.
From 1998 to 2003, it developed a new higher-education plan for the state, called "Closing the Gaps by 2015". The plan's stated goal is closing education gaps within Texas, as well as between Texas and other U.S. states.
The board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor of Texas
on a staggered basis. Their terms are for six years, ending on August 31 of odd-numbered years. The board appoints the Commissioner of Higher Education who oversees the daily operations of the board. Dr. Raymund A. Paredes is the current (as of 2007) Commissioner.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
state government that oversees all public post-secondary education in Texas. It is headquartered at 1200 East Anderson Lane in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
The board determines which Texas public four-year universities are permitted to start or continue degree programs. The board also evaluates degrees from other states and other nations for use in Texas. However, operations of the various universities or systems are the responsibility of each university or system board of regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
.
From 1998 to 2003, it developed a new higher-education plan for the state, called "Closing the Gaps by 2015". The plan's stated goal is closing education gaps within Texas, as well as between Texas and other U.S. states.
The board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
on a staggered basis. Their terms are for six years, ending on August 31 of odd-numbered years. The board appoints the Commissioner of Higher Education who oversees the daily operations of the board. Dr. Raymund A. Paredes is the current (as of 2007) Commissioner.
Board chairs
- Pamela WillefordPamela WillefordPamela Pitzer Willeford was the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein between 2003 and 2006. She is also notable as being the sole eyewitness of the 2006 hunting incident where then-United States Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot attorney Harry Whittington in the...
, 1998-2003 - Robert Shepard, 2003-2009
- A. W. "Whit" Riter, 2009-2011
- Fred W. Heldenfels IV, 2011-