Governor Greg Abbott, in a disturbing trend of expanding his gubernatorial powers to unprecedented levels, has taken it upon himself to decide the future of major public Texas universities. Abbott publicly threatened to remove the president of Texas A&M University, Mark Welsh III, from his position for allegedly violating the state’s ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies. This sets a dangerous precedent for state universities in Texas.
Students and faculty of the Mays Business School received an email encouraging them to participate in an annual conference hosted by the PhD Project. This conference’s participation is notably limited to individuals who are Black, Hispanic or Native American, as the PhD Project’s mission is to increase diversity in classrooms and the workplace. This drew attention from many conservatives on the warpath against DEI initiatives.
“Hell, no. It’s against Texas law and violates the U.S. Constitution. It will be fixed immediately or the president will soon be gone,” Abbott stated on X in response to a conservative activist’s complaint about Texas A&M’s decision to send representatives.
Texas A&M stated that the university’s general counsel had confirmed that participation did not violate the letter of the law when it comes to the state’s ban on DEI policies and initiatives. Many state universities in Texas — including University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley and University of Texas at San Antonio — have historically participated in the conference.
All of these universities have since pulled their representatives from participating. While the governor’s office did not mandate the UT System to pull its representatives, it strongly encouraged them to.
This threat represents Abbott’s bold expansion of his powers and influence as governor over the everyday lives of Texans. While Abbott does not have the power to unilaterally fire Walsh — contrary to his claim — he can appoint members to the Texas A&M Board of Regents who directly oversee the hiring process for university administrators, including the president. University administrators across Texas are now in the crosshairs of the governor’s office, who have made it clear that their job will not survive political retribution if they step out of line.
Abbott’s actions only serve to harm the education of Texas students. His threats — made purely based on party politics — will have dangerous consequences if left unaddressed. Students should not be limited in their pursuit of education, especially by the hate and ignorance of a volatile, power-hungry politician.
English
Spanish