Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Statement on the Passage of Senate Bill 18 – Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions



 

AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 18, Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe:

“Tenured university professors are the only people in our society that have the guarantee of a job. Over the past year, it has become abundantly clear that some tenured faculty at Texas universities feel immune to oversight from the legislature and their respective board of regents. These professors claim ‘academic freedom’ and hide behind their tenure to continue blatantly advancing their agenda of societal division.

“Here is an excerpt of what the University of Texas Faculty Council Resolution, passed February 14, 2022, stated:

 

‘THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Council resolutely rejects any attempts by bodies external to the faculty to restrict or dictate the content of university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial and social justice, and will stand firm against any and all encroachment on faculty authority including by the legislature or the Board of Regents.’

 

“It is shocking that these professors, who live inside a bubble, genuinely believe they are not accountable to anyone. That is not how the real world works. Of course they are accountable to the Texas Legislature and their board of regents. This behavior must not be tolerated.”

SB 18, by Sen. Creighton, prohibits general academic institutions of higher education from granting an employee tenure or any kind of permanent employment status.