The state of tenure in Texas
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Amid the chaos at the end of the legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that would limit but wouldn't end tenure, a hallmark of academic job protection.
Driving the news: Both the Texas House and Senate passed legislation that would let tenure continue — but would allow politically appointed overseers to fire faculty for reasons including "professional incompetence" or "conduct involving moral turpitude."
- The Senate's version would have barred public universities from granting tenure to faculty members starting in 2024.
The latest: The bill has been sent to the governor.
Why it matters: The issue strikes at political control of universities — and the ability of Texas research institutions to lure talent as other states maintain a tenure system.
What they're saying: "Tenured professors must not be able to hide behind the phrase 'academic freedom,' and then proceed to poison the minds of our next generation," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement last year.
The other side: Republican lawmakers want "to remake us into a right-wing institution that fits their politics, instead of a place of academic freedom where students and faculty and staff work to discover how the world works," Stuart Reichler, a University of Texas professor of practice who represents nontenure faculty at the Faculty Council, tells Axios.
- "I wanted to feel assured that my research cannot be potential grounds for termination," Jeffrey Gardner, a sociology professor at Sam Houston State University, told KUT.
Flashback: Prior to the start of the legislative session, the University of Houston altered its review process for tenured faculty, per the Houston Chronicle.
- The new post-tenure review policy — which the university crafted over three years and passed through its board in December — aims to address faculty productivity.
- All faculty members go through annual performance reviews. If tenured faculty fail the yearly evaluations in two of any three consecutive periods — for teaching or for research — they trigger an additional evaluation and remediation process.
- If the provost decides that the tenured faculty member failed to meet the terms of their plan, they can be dismissed.
- Plus, the new policy requires tenured faculty to undergo a "post-tenure review" every six years.
The intrigue: Amid complaints about cancel culture on university campuses, tenure has traditionally protected professors who want to pursue new paths of study or speak out on issues in the public eye.