The board must plan, report on, and help coordinate public higher education in the state, and it may help run an affiliated nonprofit.
Sec. 61.051. COORDINATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION. (a) The board represents the highest authority in the state in matters of public higher education and is charged with the duty to take an active part in promoting quality education throughout the state by: (1) providing a statewide perspective to ensure the efficient and effective use of higher education resources and to eliminate unnecessary duplication; (2) developing and evaluating progress toward a long-range master plan for higher education and providing analysis and recommendations to link state spending for higher education with the goals of the long-range master plan; (3) collecting and making accessible data on higher education in the state and aggregating and analyzing that data to support policy recommendations; (4) making recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transitions, including between high school and postsecondary education, between institutions of higher education for transfer purposes, and between postsecondary education and the workforce; (5) administering programs and trusteed funds for financial aid and other grants as necessary to achieve the state's long-range goals and as directed by the legislature; and (6) adopting rules or taking other action necessary to ensure that each institution of higher education is properly accredited as required to participate in the federal financial aid program under 20 U.S.C. Section 1070a and other federal student financial assistance programs. (a-1) The board shall develop a long-range master plan for higher education in this state. The plan shall: (1) establish long-term, measurable goals and provide strategies for implementing those goals; (2) assess the higher education needs of each region of the state; (3) provide for regular evaluation and revision of the plan, as the board considers necessary, to ensure the relevance of goals and strategies; and (4) take into account the resources of private or independent institutions of higher education. (a-2) The board shall establish methods for obtaining input from stakeholders and the general public when developing or revising the long-range master plan developed under Subsection (a-1). (a-3) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the board shall prepare and deliver a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing committees of the senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over higher education. In the report, the board shall assess the state's progress in meeting the goals established in the long-range master plan developed under Subsection (a-1) and recommend legislative action, including statutory or funding changes, to assist the state in meeting those goals. The report must include updates on implementation strategies provided for in the long-range master plan under Subsection (a-1). (a-5) In conjunction with development of the long-range master plan under Subsection (a-1), the board shall evaluate the role and mission of each general academic teaching institution, other than a public state college, to ensure that the roles and missions of the institutions collectively contribute to the state's goals identified in the master plan. (b) The board may participate in the establishment and operation of an affiliated nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise money for or provide services or other benefits to the board. Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3072, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 2055, ch. 676, Sec. 1, 2, eff. June 20, 1975; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 646, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 26, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 823, Sec. 1.06, eff. June 20, 1987; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1084, Sec. 1.11, 4.01(1), eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 668, Sec. 7.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 138, Sec. 1, eff. May 19, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 373, Sec. 1, eff. May 25, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 818, Sec. 6.03, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 820, Sec. 12, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 354 (S.B. 1226), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2005. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 338 (H.B. 2908), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2011. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1083 (S.B. 1179), Sec. 25(17), eff. June 17, 2011. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 507 (S.B. 67), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (S.B. 215), Sec. 31, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (S.B. 215), Sec. 62(8), eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1312 (S.B. 59), Sec. 17, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1236 (S.B. 1296), Sec. 5.006(b), eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1236 (S.B. 1296), Sec. 5.007, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 378 (H.B. 8), Sec. 20, eff. September 1, 2023. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 87 (S.B. 530), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2025.