The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports on a chicken-or-egg situation regarding Texas A&M University’s “Student Led Awards for Teaching Excellence,” and whether A&M based its controversial faculty teaching awards on a now-defunct program at the University of Oklahoma, or else on a proposal by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Meanwhile, documents show that during Gov. Rick Perry’s now-infamous May 2008 higher education summit, regents were pitched the “seven solutions” at the same time they were given a copy of a proposal to implement “Teaching Excellence Awards” at OU.

Outgoing A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney told the Eagle that he proposed the SLATE awards, based on a similar program at OU called the Alumni Teaching Award. Both gave cash awards to faculty based on anonymous student evaluations. OU’s award, first proposed around 2006/2007, was discontinued after two years due to lack of funds, according to the Eagle.

TPPF board member Jeff Sandefer’s father “Jakie” Sandefer, who is a prominent OU alumnus, is credited with bringing the short-lived teaching awards to his alma mater. Read More