Democrats’ victories in Texas could reshape the state’s public colleges and universities, including through new appointments to governing boards, changes to higher education policy and the course of ongoing legal disputes. The election also challenges Texas’s recent role as a leading example of conservative higher education reforms.
Democrats won the governorship, lieutenant governorship and attorney general’s office, as well as a U.S. Senate seat. The Associated Press also called the state House for Democrats, leaving Republicans with a majority only in the state Senate. Gina Hinojosa, the governor-elect, will be able to nominate new university regents, although the Senate must confirm those appointments.
Texas Republicans enacted a sweeping ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and later passed SB 37, which restricts who can establish faculty senates and select their leaders. The law gives those powers to university governing boards and presidents. Faculty groups and academics have criticized the policies, while the American Association of University Professors has filed lawsuits against Texas A&M and Texas Tech over campus restrictions.
The terms of the chairs of the Texas A&M, University of Texas, Texas Tech, Texas State and Texas Woman’s University systems’ boards expire early next year. The timing gives Hinojosa an opportunity to nominate replacements, but the Republican-controlled Senate could make confirmations difficult. Democratic control of the governor’s office and House may also give the party greater influence over university budgets.
Advocates for faculty say the election could create an opening to revisit state law and university policies. Teresa Klein, president of the Texas AAUP-AFT, said one faculty member had already told her they felt more able to teach without anxiety. Other academics described the results as a rejection of political involvement in classroom decisions.
The Republican Senate majority remains a significant obstacle to reversing legislation, however. Some faculty members also argue that university policies have gone further than state law requires and may be easier to change. Leonard Bright, president of the AAUP chapter at Texas A&M’s College Station campus, said the focus would now turn to the universities’ boards and their role in higher education.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed.