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UT Austin President delivers “State of the University Address,” Texas AAUP-AFT leaders say faculty & students remain sidelined
On Wednesday, UT Austin President Jim Davis––who served as deputy general for Ken Paxton before becoming the university’s Vice President for Legal Affairs––delivered a “State of the University Address,” where he skirted by all the controversies that have kept the university in headlines across the nation.
Despite several major overhauls rolled out this year, Davis floats through his 20-minute speech, speaking to anything but the restructurings that sideline students and faculty. He announces a new school, named “University College,” will be established to "serve as a guardian” to the core curriculum. It should be noted that, until 2025, a School of Undergraduate Studies existed to steward the core, flag system, and first-year writing seminars. Leaders (approved by governor-appointed regents) at UT Austin and universities across Texas are breaking down well-oiled systems and rebuilding in whatever image politicians like Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick want. Existing schools and programs are consolidated or closed, only for similar, if not identical, structures to go up in their place. The only difference is that now, the new administrators get to cherry-pick who they want to lead and teach in these programs.
While Jim Davis highlights the university’s growth in research funding, medical expansion, and student applications, it must be remembered that a college is only as good as its faculty. After all, it is faculty who earn the million-dollar research grants, develop curriculum and courses that propel academic programs to national rankings, and keep their universities running. A college can get by with changing leadership––UT Austin and Texas A&M have been playing administrator roulette with its deans, provosts, and presidents for the past 2 years––but without faculty, their programs are nothing.
In response to Davis’s speech, Texas AAUP-AFT leaders at UT Austin call on UT leadership to restore an elected, empowered faculty governing body; pause the program eliminations and department mergers pending genuine, university-wide faculty review; and ensure that students have a meaningful voice in decisions that define their education. Read their full statement here.
UT Austin, and the rest of Texas’s powerhouse institutions of higher education, are slowly and surely being taken over and turned into political playgrounds at the expense of the students and faculty. The governor has the power to appoint every important position in higher education: the regents, the chancellor, and the Texas Higher Educating Coordinating Board commissioners. This election is one of the most important for the future of public and higher education in Texas history. Early voting is from now until October 30th, with Election Day on November 3rd. If we want to put a stop to the takeover of our schools, we need you (and your friends, family, and colleagues) to get out the vote for Texas AFT’s endorsed candidates. Find our endorsement list and create your plan to vote here.
