Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Calls For 'Eliminating Tenure At All Public Universities In Texas'
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said after a press conference on Feb. 18 that if he is reelected this November, he will prioritize eliminating tenure from public universities in Texas.
Tenured professors often have years of experience in their field and in education. They receive special protections and privileges that serve as incentives to attract talented academics to schools offering them.
Conservative critics - including Patrick - argue that tenure is used to protect professors who teach critical race theory (CRT). The core idea of CRT is that racism is ingrained in all parts of society and that systems create a dynamic that enable racist outcomes even when the original intent is not itself based in racism.
Conservatives criticize CRT as itself being racist and discriminatory against white people, and Patrick stated that he believes professors who teach CRT should be fired.
"During the upcoming 88th Legislative Session, one of my priorities will be eliminating tenure at all public universities in Texas. To address already-tenured professors, we will change tenure reviews from every 6 years to annually. Additionally, we will define teaching Critical Race Theory in statute as a cause for a tenured professor to be dismissed," his statement read.
"Tenured professors must not be able to hide behind the phrase 'academic freedom,' and then proceed to poison the minds of our next generation," said Patrick. "Universities across Texas are being taken over by tenured, leftist professors, and it is high time that more oversight is provided."
Patrick also criticized the University of Texas at Austin's Faculty Council for voting 41 to 5 in favor of a resolution supporting teaching CRT and rejecting what professors saw as "encroachment on faculty authority by the legislature or the Boards of Trustees." Patrick's statement called for the the Texas Senate to "take up giving Boards of Regents more authority to address issues of tenure."
Mike Collier, a Democrat running for Lt. Governor in this year's race, criticized Patrick and said that his plan would cost the state jobs, business, and prestige.
If @DanPatrick has his way, @TexasTech, @TAMU, @UHouston, and @UTAustin will all see an exodus of our state's best and brightest, doing irreparable damage to our economy.
— Mike Collier (@CollierForTexas) February 18, 2022
We will lose thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in business, and forever tarnish the prestige of Texas. https://t.co/Mqg1LnQlWd
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa also said in a statement, "Lt. Governor Patrick's attack on higher education is yet another tactic being used by Texas Republicans to wage a culture war in our state. Today, the victims of their unethical behavior are teachers, students, knowledge, and truth itself."
Over the past few months, Patrick has been engaged in battle with UT Austin professors over his support for a conservative think tank at the university called the Liberty Institute. Patrick said the think tank would help combat CRT. Opponents are concerned that the institute, which some administrators had been supportive of, would stifle academic freedom.