Over the course of the last week, University of Texas President William C. Powers Jr. has been making headlines due to his hard stance in favor of tuition hikes in Austin. On the other side of the debate in the Lone Star State is Gene Powell, the chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents, who was appointed to the board by Gov. Rick Perry.
Powell has been a staunch ally for Perry in his fight to keep tuition capped, a profile provided by The Texas Tribune explains.
Powell has denied calling for Powers' firing and even called their relationship "cordial," though admits that his role and controversial positions are bound anger people resistant to change in the U.T. system. He supports Perry's desire to see universities offering bachelor's degrees for $10,000, and he wants to see reform.
It's unclear right now whether that will mean cooperating with Powers or somehow replacing him, but these two men will continue to dominate higher education news in Texas for the foreseeable future.