A Few Thoughts on Academic Freedom - Submitted OpEd

For over 100 years, Texas A&M University has promoted itself as a champion of free expression, academic excellence, and rigorous inquiry. This promise has been something tangible for students and faculty alike. Academic freedom is not an abstract ideal. It is the mechanism that allows experts to teach what their fields require, students to encounter ideas they may not yet understand or agree with, and universities to produce graduates capable of critical thought rather than rote loyalty. When that freedom is protected, the entire institutional ecosystem benefits.

In recent years, however, a growing number of administrative decisions have raised serious questions about how firmly those principles are being upheld when academic work becomes politically controversial. University leadership has intervened in curriculum and faculty employment matters following external pressure. These interventions signal a shift away from faculty governance and peer-review as the primary factors in academic decision-making. Instead, scholarly judgment has been replaced with administrative risk assessment and political appeasement.

The consequences of this shift include a noticeable decline in educational quality. When faculty see colleagues disciplined or removed after public backlash, even when their teaching falls squarely within disciplinary norms, it sends a clear message. Certain topics are safer to avoid. Certain questions are better left unasked. Over time, this restricts open inquiry, narrows curricula, and leaves students with an education shaped less by expertise than indoctrination. That is how academic rigor erodes quietly, long before rankings or enrollment numbers reflect the damage.

Several recent cases illustrate this pattern. Journalism professor Dr. Kathleen McElroy’s contract for a leadership position was altered after outside concerns were raised, a process later reflected in internal communications. School of Public Health professor Dr. Joy Alonzo was placed on leave following public attention to remarks made during a lecture on opioid addiction that referenced state leadership. More recently, English professor Dr. Melissa McCoul was dismissed after backlash related to a discussion about gender in a literature course. In each instance, administrative action followed political or public scrutiny rather than a transparent, faculty-led review grounded in academic standards.

Leadership intervention has also extended to pre-approved academic programming. Philosophy courses taught by Dr. Martin Peterson and Dr. Leonard Bright were canceled or modified after objections to their treatment of Plato and gender related topics, despite aligning with widely accepted approaches in the field. Additionally, the elimination of the Women’s and Gender Studies degree program following the adoption of a policy restricting classroom discussion of race and gender demonstrates how entire areas of study can be erased when university leadership values political reputation over academic consensus. The result is faculty increasingly constrained by uncertainty and a hollow education for students. This will certainly lead to a drastic decrease in A&M’s reputation, funding, and scholarly output.

This pattern raises a larger structural question about governance. Texas A&M’s Board of Regents is appointed by the governor, a system that inevitably ties university oversight to shifting political priorities and reactionary donor expectations. While this structure may serve political accountability, it is poorly suited to safeguarding academic independence and excellence. Replacing the Board of Regents with the expertise of a faculty-led committee would ensure that academic authority lies in the hands of experts. This step is essential in reducing the influence of external political pressure and restoring trust in Texas A&M as an institution. Such a reform would not weaken the university. It would strengthen it by placing educational integrity back in the hands of faculty experts trained to uphold it.

If Texas A&M is to maintain its credibility and reputation as a serious institution of higher learning, meaningful change is required. Students, faculty, and staff must keep these issues visible, demand transparency in administrative decisions, and press for the reversal of policies that undermine academic autonomy. Otherwise, the quality of research and education from Texas A&M will mean less and less as time passes. Most importantly, the university must recommit to governance structures that protect scholarship from political interference. Academic freedom is not a slogan but a core principle that enables education, research, and intellectual progress. 

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