Faculty members at the University of Texas at Austin are expressing significant concern over the future of several liberal arts departments. Their apprehension follows the quiet formation of a university committee tasked with reviewing the structure of its liberal arts programs, a move many believe could lead to the elimination of entire academic disciplines.
The university administration has not made any official announcements regarding program cuts. However, information circulating among staff suggests the review is focused on ethnic, regional, and gender studies programs, creating a climate of uncertainty on campus.
Key Takeaways
- A new committee at UT Austin is reviewing the structure of liberal arts programs, sparking fears of department closures.
- Departments potentially under review include African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, and women’s and gender studies.
- A recent state law has dissolved university faculty senates, reducing faculty input in university governance.
- The university's new provost has publicly criticized what he terms the "identity-studies framework" in higher education.
New Committee Sparks Restructuring Concerns
Faculty members have learned that a committee was established earlier this semester to evaluate the university's liberal arts offerings. The lack of formal communication from the administration about the committee's purpose and scope has fueled speculation and anxiety.
Concerns are specifically centered on programs that study race, ethnicity, and gender. These include the departments of African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Staff in these departments feel they are being targeted for restructuring or elimination.
"We’re hearing bits and pieces," said Julie Minich, a professor in the English and Mexican American and Latina/o studies departments. "We’re hearing that the dean appointed a restructuring committee. We’re hearing rumors about who’s on it. And then we’re trying to read the tea leaves."
Parallel Review of Core Curriculum
In a separate but related development, UT Austin President Jay Hartzell announced a task force to conduct a "thorough review" of the university’s core curriculum. The stated goal is to "identify gaps in quality, rigor, or intellectual cohesion." This 18-member task force does not include any professors from the departments that faculty believe are under threat of restructuring.
Legislative and Administrative Shifts Alter Governance
The situation is compounded by recent changes in state law and university leadership. A new Texas law that took effect on September 1 has disbanded the long-standing faculty senates across the public university system. These bodies have historically served as a primary channel for faculty to participate in university governance.
With the faculty senates gone, university administrators now have nearly complete control over governance matters. This shift in power has left many faculty members feeling sidelined from critical decisions affecting their departments and the university's academic direction.
Following this legislative change, UT Austin's new president, who was appointed without faculty input, established a 12-person faculty advisory board. The members of this board were selected entirely by the president to advise him on institutional matters.
Provost's Views and External Pressure
The university's new provost, William Inboden, recently detailed his perspective on higher education in a 7,000-word essay for National Affairs, a conservative journal. In the article, he criticized the "ideological imbalance" at universities and specifically blamed the "identity-studies framework."
"Too many American history courses present the American past as a litany of oppressions and hypocrisies, leaving students with an imbalanced view of the United States," Inboden wrote.
Many faculty members interpreted the essay as a direct criticism of their fields. "Inboden’s manifesto really outlines his sense that the humanities and liberal arts are full of pathology and rot," said Craig Campbell, an anthropology professor at UT Austin. "That’s what they’re going after." He described the current campus climate as "horrible."
Conservative Think Tank Report
Adding to the pressure, the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, published a report titled "Are the ‘Studies’ Worth Studying?" The report argues that disciplines like Women’s Studies and Asian American Studies are "activist rather than scholarly" and suggests that eliminating such "low-rigor disciplines" could be a remedy for alleged grade inflation.
Professor Minich disputed these characterizations. "I would vigorously dispute any characterization of area studies or ethnic studies as ideologically engaged in the indoctrination of students," she stated. "My goal in the classroom is never to tell students what to think. It’s to give them tools for how to think about a complicated world."
Broader Context of Changes at UT Austin
These recent developments occur within a broader pattern of changes at UT Austin and across Texas higher education. The state has been at the forefront of efforts to reshape public universities, including weakening tenure protections and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Earlier this year, UT Austin dismantled its DEI programs and laid off approximately 60 staff members who worked in related roles. The university also closed its Multicultural Engagement Center and discontinued its traditional bilingual graduation ceremony for Spanish-speaking students.
The university is also considering an offer from the Trump administration for preferential access to federal funding in exchange for policy overhauls. While several other major universities have declined the offer, UT Austin has not yet announced a decision. The proposal prompted a recent protest where about 200 students gathered on campus, chanting "do not sign" in front of the main administration building.
