As debates over academic freedom continue to escalate across Texas public universities, some faculty reconsider how and where they teach. At institutions such as Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University, professors have recently left their positions in search of greater autonomy over classroom material, citing concerns regarding mounting restrictions on research and coursework.
UT San Antonio comparative literature professor Steven Kellman, Ph.D., elaborated that these tensions reflect a substantial shift.
“It is only in the past few years that any orders have come down from above about what we cannot teach,” Kellman said. “That was unheard of until maybe five years ago.”
Those concerns follow a series of high-level administrative actions. Earlier this month, Texas Tech leadership called for the elimination of degrees “centered” on sexual orientation or gender identity. At UT San Antonio, the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies will merge with the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies beginning Sept. 1. Similar consolidations are underway at UT Austin, where multiple gender and ethnic studies programs will fold into a new Social and Cultural Analysis Studies department this fall.
In February, the University of Texas System Board of Regents voted to limit “unnecessary controversial subjects” in class, directing instructors to adhere to the curriculum and “eschew topics and controversies that are not germane to the course.” While the policy does not explicitly define those topics, its ambiguity has raised concerns about how broadly it could be applied, especially since a separate 2023 law, Senate Bill 18, introduced changes to tenure protections, allowing for the dismissal of tenured faculty under specific conditions.
Kellman said that while he has not altered his teaching, the pressure surrounding certain subjects is evident.
“I personally have not changed the way I teach. I guess my teaching is not overtly political, although all teaching is in a way,” he said.
Additionally, UT System universities have begun restructuring their race and gender-related programs that violate Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at all public universities. Proponents argue these bills promote merit-based hiring and accountability, aiming to refocus Texas universities on education and innovation rather than what they characterize as divisive political agendas.
Kellman noted that the impact of these changes is unevenly felt across disciplines but is particularly pronounced in the humanities and social sciences.
“There are some people who specialize in things like gender identity, racial history, and that’s become very sensitive,” Kellman said. “They are really careful [about] what they say.”
Kellman said academic freedom is a defining feature of higher education, distinguishing universities from earlier forms of schooling.
“It’s what makes a university a university. In lower education as opposed to higher education — in high school, middle school — the teacher is the authority figure, and the teacher tells you what to think,” Kellman explained. “That’s not what a university should be all about. A university is an institution voted to open inquiry, where the professor is one of many equals with the students. That we all pursue truth together. And the important thing is testing our beliefs against recognizable criteria and not pursuing superstitions or prejudices or ideas that are simply asserted because an authority tells us to. That is anti-ethical to what a university should be.”
As universities adjust policies affecting faculty and curriculum, students are also navigating new boundaries on expression. Senate Bill 2972, known as the “Campus Protection Act,” introduced new restrictions on the timing and nature of campus protests.
“The crackdown on academic freedom and free speech has rippled across Texas and the nation. Students and faculty have grown fearful and disillusioned,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said.
In response, some faculty have begun organizing through groups such as the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors to navigate the state’s changing academic landscape.
As these policy changes and program restructurings take effect across Texas universities, faculty and students continue to navigate how those shifts shape teaching and campus discourse. For institutions like UT San Antonio, the evolving balance between legislative direction and academic independence remains an ongoing point of adjustment within higher education.
