Big Brother is not far away:
A bruising battle over academic freedom is being waged in Texas, where the legislature is poised to give the state power to screen faculty, programs and courses in one of the country’s largest public university systems, and experts say the outcome could reverberate for higher education nationwide.
Conservative lawmakers, who control all levers of government, are advancing a measure they say would hold institutions more accountable and ensure curriculum is “free from ideological bias.” Faculty could be removed or face civil penalties for violations. Schools that fail to comply could be barred from spending state funds.
“Higher education should be about teaching students how to think, not what to think,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said.
The 27-page omnibus bill, which would rate academic programs based on average student debt and “return on investment for students,” has already passed the state Senate. A House committee is expected to consider a version of S.B. 37 on Tuesday. If the chamber also approves the measure, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is expected to sign it into law.
Opponents say the result would essentially be a takeover of the state’s 126 public universities, community college districts and medical schools, with state officials even allowed to overturn hiring decisions. They fear it could damage the institutions’ reputations and lead to a faculty brain drain.
“It’s a concentration of power in government,” said Brian Evans, president of the Texas conference of the American Association of University Professors. He testified against the legislation in March, contending that it “will infringe on students’ freedom to learn and teachers’ ability to teach.”
The Senate vote that followed, along party lines, was 20-11 in favor.
State takeovers are nothing new here. Republican leaders have used them in recent years to fight blue cities’ policies in elections and K-12 schools. But this is the first power grab at the college level, and higher education experts elsewhere are watching closely.
Its impact would be huge, affecting 80,000 faculty and 1.4 million students. Texas boasts 16 top-tier research universities, more than any other state. Its flagship institution, the University of Texas at Austin, has the biggest endowment of any public university in the country; Texas A&M University boasts the biggest enrollment.
“Texas, being such a large state, if it takes action, you’re definitely going to see other states getting interested,” said Neal Hutchens, a higher education professor at the University of Kentucky who has been tracking the bill. Even among those at the forefront of efforts to police what’s taught at colleges and universities, he added, S.B. 37 is “pushing the envelope.”
The bill comes amid President Donald Trump’s broader war on higher education. In recent weeks, he has issued executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campuses; blocking federal dollars to schools that fail to comply; and upending what is required for accreditation. He has focused mostly on elite private universities, including a high-profile legal battle with Harvard. And while his administration published a list of 60 colleges and universities — public and private — under investigation for alleged civil rights violations stemming from pro-Palestinian demonstrations, no Texas schools were cited.
A bruising battle over academic freedom is being waged in Texas, where the legislature is poised to give the state power to screen faculty, programs and courses in one of the country’s largest public university systems, and experts say the outcome could reverberate for higher education nationwide.
A bruising battle over academic freedom is being waged in Texas, where the legislature is poised to give the state power to screen faculty, programs and courses in one of the country’s largest public university systems, and experts say the outcome could reverberate for higher education nationwide.
Conservative lawmakers, who control all levers of government, are advancing a measure they say would hold institutions more accountable and ensure curriculum is “free from ideological bias.” Faculty could be removed or face civil penalties for violations. Schools that fail to comply could be barred from spending state funds.
“Higher education should be about teaching students how to think, not what to think,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said.
The 27-page omnibus bill, which would rate academic programs based on average student debt and “return on investment for students,” has already passed the state Senate. A House committee is expected to consider a version of S.B. 37 on Tuesday. If the chamber also approves the measure, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is expected to sign it into law.
Opponents say the result would essentially be a takeover of the state’s 126 public universities, community college districts and medical schools, with state officials even allowed to overturn hiring decisions. They fear it could damage the institutions’ reputations and lead to a faculty brain drain.
“It’s a concentration of power in government,” said Brian Evans, president of the Texas conference of the American Association of University Professors. He testified against the legislation in March, contending that it “will infringe on students’ freedom to learn and teachers’ ability to teach.”
The Senate vote that followed, along party lines, was 20-11 in favor.
State takeovers are nothing new here. Republican leaders have used them in recent years to fight blue cities’ policies in elections and K-12 schools. But this is the first power grab at the college level, and higher education experts elsewhere are watching closely.
Its impact would be huge, affecting 80,000 faculty and 1.4 million students. Texas boasts 16 top-tier research universities, more than any other state. Its flagship institution, the University of Texas at Austin, has the biggest endowment of any public university in the country; Texas A&M University boasts the biggest enrollment.
“Texas, being such a large state, if it takes action, you’re definitely going to see other states getting interested,” said Neal Hutchens, a higher education professor at the University of Kentucky who has been tracking the bill. Even among those at the forefront of efforts to police what’s taught at colleges and universities, he added, S.B. 37 is “pushing the envelope.”
The bill comes amid President Donald Trump’s broader war on higher education. In recent weeks, he has issued executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campuses; blocking federal dollars to schools that fail to comply; and upending what is required for accreditation. He has focused mostly on elite private universities, including a high-profile legal battle with Harvard. And while his administration published a list of 60 colleges and universities — public and private — under investigation for alleged civil rights violations stemming from pro-Palestinian demonstrations, no Texas schools were cited.
A bruising battle over academic freedom is being waged in Texas, where the legislature is poised to give the state power to screen faculty, programs and courses in one of the country’s largest public university systems, and experts say the outcome could reverberate for higher education nationwide.
