Texas puts off decision on creationism degrees

Reporter Ralph K. M. Haurwitz at the Austin American-Statesman wrote a story at the newspaper’s blog, The Lowdown on Higher Ed, saying the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) will not decide the creationism degree issue until mid-April.

January’s meeting still has the item on the agenda, officially, but the actual vote won’t come without considerably more study.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board had been scheduled to consider the proposal by the Dallas-based Institute for Creation Research at a meeting Jan. 24.But Eddy Miller, dean of the institute’s graduate school, said in an e-mail to the coordinating board Monday that the school needs more time “to do justice to the concerns you raised,” according to a news release issued by the coordinating board. Miller asked the board to delay consideration of the matter until its April meeting.

Texas’s science community panned the motion. Rumors say many of Texas’s top scientists wrote or called to urge disapproval of the motion.

There’s still time to send a letter calling for a stand for good, hard science. Details, as always, at the Texas Citizens for Science page.