After the Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced he wants to end tenure for all new faculty hires at public universities and revoke tenure for any professor who teaches critical race theory, the TACT Board has made an official response. Lt. Gov. Patrick's statement is two-pronged, which threatens both tenure and academic freedom.
TACT has continually defended the merits of tenure for decades and it looks again like some Texas lawmakers want to eliminate tenure altogether like Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Kansas.
This type of legislation is a door opener to other subject matters the state legislature may oppose and restrict faculty in the future. Please view the association's statement and share this critical information with your institution and colleagues. If they aren't a member, ask them to join TACT today!
Statement of Academic Freedom
adopted by the Texas Association of College Teachers
March 1, 2022
Whereas, the recent rhetoric of Texas state officials opposed to tenure and teaching about issues of race in the classroom is damaging the reputation and future of public higher education in Texas, and
Whereas, academic freedom is the very foundation upon which Texas higher education is built and the genesis of Texas innovation, and
Whereas, the importance of academic freedom is affirmed in the 1940 statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to which we subscribe,
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Texas Association of College Teachers strongly affirms the stance of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, American Association of University Professors and more than 70 other higher education organizations that “educators, not politicians, should make decisions about tenure, teaching and learning.”
And be it further resolved, that we stand with the Texas Council of Faculty Senates and other institutions of higher education in Texas who are opposed to interference in matters of academics and curriculum, which are the purview of the faculty.
And be it further resolved, that the Texas Association of College Teachers urges Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Texas lawmakers to support academic freedom because it is the basis for attracting and keeping world-class students, faculty, and business in Texas.
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