New Chancellor Daniel Pullin has co-authored a 10-year strategic plan to steer Texas Christian University's growth alongside its increasingly prominent city, Fort Worth.

The new law brings sweeping changes, including national school vouchers, revised Medicaid and food assistance policies, and major overhauls to federal student loans and college funding.

The Education Department's civil rights branch lost nearly half its staff amid mass layoffs in March, raising questions about its ability to address a deep backlog of complaints from students alleging discrimination based on disability, sex or race.

More than a dozen colleges and universities have announced budget cuts, staff layoffs and tuition increases in June and midway through July to cope with rising budget deficits.