Texas’ state university systems are reviewing race and gender identity content in their curricula amid a push from Republican lawmakers to roll back what they say is liberal bias on campuses.
A sweeping law passed this year gave regents, who are appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, more power over the day-to-day functions of their universities.
Under Senate Bill 37, regents get final say over course offerings, while minors and certificate programs with low enrollment will be considered for consolidation. Governing boards would review core curricula every five years.
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The Education Lab
No state law explicitly prevents professors from teaching or discussing race, gender identity and sexual orientation in Texas public universities.
The mandated curriculum review will consider whether core courses “are foundational and fundamental,” equip students for the workforce and more. Initial recommendations by public universities are due in 2027.
Texas is home to seven public university systems and 37 public four-year universities.
A flurry of public universities started issuing curriculum reviews after a video from a Texas A&M classroom went viral in September. In the recording, a student argued with English lecturer Melissa McCoul after her lesson recognized more than two genders.
The incident prompted outrage from Republican lawmakers, with Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, who shared the video, deeming the lesson as “DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination.” The video led to the educator’s firing and university President Mark Welsh III’s resignation.
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Here’s where some Texas university systems stand on how race and gender identity is taught.
Texas A&M
After the video went viral, Texas A&M University System regents announced a new policy Nov. 13: Courses cannot “advocate race or gender ideology” without a campus president’s approval beforehand. The policy will begin in January.
Race ideology refers to content that “attempts to shame a particular race or ethnicity” and “accuse them of being oppressors,” according to the policy. Courses cannot promote “activism on issues related to race or ethnicity, rather than academic instruction.”
The policy defines gender ideology as “a concept of self-assessed gender identity replacing, and disconnected from, the biological category of sex.”
Some professors said the policy infringes on their First Amendment rights and limits how they teach race and gender. Regents said the policy will ensure that instructional materials correspond with the degree.
In the fallout from the video, Chancellor Glenn Hegar said the English lecturer “failed to follow instructions to align her course description with the actual content of her class” in a social media post on Sept. 9.
“Insubordination and indoctrination have no place on our campus or in our classrooms,” he continued. Hegar ordered all 12 universities in the system to conduct an additional audit of courses.
During a meeting Nov. 13, regents discussed how they would tackle the systemwide audit. Artificial intelligence will help analyze an inventory of all undergraduate courses to ensure the curricula align with the approved syllabi. Students can also report what they consider inaccurate or misleading course content.
“It has become clear that we have some courses in the A&M system that do not follow the approved curriculum, posted syllabi and learning outcomes,” said regent Sam Torn during the meeting. “We are making sure we are educating, not advocating.”
Texas Tech
The Texas Tech University System tightened rules on teaching race and gender, as outlined in a memo sent by Chancellor Brandon Creighton on Dec. 1.
Faculty members cannot teach that one race or sex is “inherently superior to another” or “meritocracy or a strong work ethic are racist, sexist, or constructs of oppression.” They cannot instruct that individuals bear “responsibility or guilt for actions of others of the same race or sex.”
Courses should not promote “activism on issues related to race or sex,” Creighton said in the letter.
The chancellor established a review process for content related to race, gender and sexual orientation. Faculty members can request for the material to remain in the course, and their request will be reviewed by department and university leadership.
The provost ultimately decides whether the course content should be recommended to the board of regents’ Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee.
The system, which encompasses five universities and serves about 64,000 students, needs to comply with federal and state law, Creighton said.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes in January. More than a week later, Abbott directed state agency heads to follow Trump’s order.
“I stand ready to work with our institutions to ensure swift and clear implementation,” Creighton said in a news release.
University of Texas
The University of Texas System, which oversees nine universities, announced Sept. 30 it started a review of its courses with an emphasis on how gender identity is taught.
The evaluation will ensure “compliance and alignment” with state and federal guidance. Any courses taught on its campuses must be “aligned with the direction and priorities of the Board of Regents,” according to the statement.
The review is currently underway, a UT spokesperson said in a Dec. 1 email.
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University of North Texas
Chancellor Michael Williams ordered the University of North Texas System, which consists of three institutions, to conduct an “expedited review” of academic courses and programs.
In a letter dated Sept. 29, he said the review ensures compliance with state and federal laws, executive orders and court orders.
“In your role as state employees, compliance with the law is required, and I trust in your professionalism to carry out these responsibilities in a manner that reflects our values,” Williams said in the letter.
The deadline for the reviews is Jan. 1.
Will private universities follow suit?
As public universities move forward with reevaluating curricula, some see efforts to adjust teaching to Republican leaders’ goals seeping into private universities.
Texas Christian University will close departments for comparative race and ethnic studies and women and gender studies next year, the university told faculty in October.
The departments will be folded into the English department, given the low numbers of students majoring in them and for financial reasons, the university said.
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The comparative race and ethnic studies department has nine students, according to enrollment data, while the women and gender studies department has two.
Some professors said the decision strips away a space for students to discuss race and gender. Others say it’s a nimble one to ensure these studies can continue to exist during a time when race and gender instruction has fallen under intense scrutiny.
TCU did not say whether it will review gender and race identity content in its curricula.
Southern Methodist University paused its course requirement on “human diversity,” the school announced in March.
The temporary halt was in response to the federal government’s “Dear Colleague” letter that sought to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses. Schools that did not comply risked losing federal funding.
The university has no plans to consolidate academic courses, an SMU spokesperson said in an email.
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