\u2018The TTU System will no longer offer academic credentials in these fields\u2019<\/p>\n
Texas Tech University System is officially phasing out all academic programs centered on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a memo sent Friday by the chancellor. <\/p>\n
The memo<\/a> details the \u201cphase-out and closure guidance\u201d plan for \u201call academic programs \u2018centered on\u2019 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), including undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, and graduate degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe TTU System will no longer offer academic credentials in these fields, but all currently enrolled students will be able to complete their degrees,\u201d states the memo from system Chancellor Brandon Creighton to university presidents.<\/p>\n The six-page also spells out sweeping guidance regarding curriculum, issuing a \u201cstrict prohibition on SOGI content in all core and lower-level undergraduate courses, requiring alternate materials if primary texts center on or include these topics.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConversely, upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses are restricted but feature clear exemptions for strictly defined academic purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n The directive comes five months after Creighton released a\u00a0memo<\/a>\u00a0to \u201censure that classroom instruction fully complies with state and federal law, Board of Regents policy, and Chancellor directives.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Texas passed Senate Bill 37<\/a>, which requires curriculum reviews to ensure courses \u201cprepare students for civic and professional life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProvosts across Texas Tech\u2019s five institutions must submit to Creighton by June 15 the degree programs, majors, minors and certificates they plan to eliminate based on the new memo. Afterward, the system plans to freeze admissions into those offerings, though currently enrolled students will be able to finish their programs,\u201d Higher Ed Dive reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n