Tenure has been a popular practice across institutions of higher education to attract talent and ensure academic freedom from persecution. However, in Texas, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has been an outspoken member of the Texas Government against tenure. Dan Patrick made going after tenure a top priority last year, believing that tenure has furthered initiatives by leftist professors who aim to teach critical race theory and promote woke political ideology among students with no accountability. 

That is why he and other Republican legislatures have pushed to end tenure in the state of Texas. Senate bill 18 would do just that if it is passed into law. Senate Bill 18, written by State Senator Brandon Creighton, would end tenure this year in Texas public universities if passed into law. This does not apply to professors who have already been given tenure before Sept. 1 of this year, when the law, if passed, would go into effect. Tenure can only be kept if the professor stays at the same university they have tenure. The bill does allow institutions of higher education to have alternative forms of tiered employment provided annual evaluations.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and State Senator Brandon Creighton believe tenure has now become a tool used to push political ideology upon students with no repercussions and hinder true academic excellence for both the university and students.

According to the Beaumont Enterprise, State Senator Creighton stated that “Tenure was originally intended to protect academic freedom and recruit professors, however over the years, the practice has devolved into a costly perk that is detrimental to innovative research and quality instruction and if abused, used as an attack against the brand of the university itself,” Creighton stated. “At a time when colleges and universities have unprecedented endowments, bloated administrative costs, and ballooning tuition, it is time for lawmakers to reevaluate an outdated practice that guarantees lifetime employment at taxpayer expense.”

Already, tenure can still be revoked and professors with tenure are supposed to be evaluated consistently by a university’s board. Tenured professors must be evaluated no more than once a year no less than every six years. Supporters of tenure state that Senate Bill 18 would hinder an institution’s ability to attract professors and would violate academic freedom to freely teach students.