Feb. 22, Michael Harris, professor of higher education and chair of the Department of Education Policy and Leadership in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU Dallas, for a piece critical of Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s stands on tenure and Critical Race Theory. Published in the Houston Chronicle under the heading Dan Patrick, don’t mess with Texas public universities: https://bit.ly/3BNPljp
On Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican up for re-election, proposed the elimination of tenure for new faculty hires at all Texas public universities. There’s more: Patrick would enable revocation of tenure for faculty who teach critical race theory.
Universities are powerful engines of economic and social improvement in Texas and the nation. Unfortunately, Patrick’s political stunt threatens to do irreparable harm to these institutions.
Patrick may score political points by attacking university faculty, but his proposal would inflict significant damage on Texas students and businesses. And, in the process, he would give politicians unprecedented influence over what’s taught in universities.
By Michael S. Harris
On Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican up for re-election, proposed the elimination of tenure for new faculty hires at all Texas public universities. There’s more: Patrick would enable revocation of tenure for faculty who teach critical race theory.
Universities are powerful engines of economic and social improvement in Texas and the nation. Unfortunately, Patrick’s political stunt threatens to do irreparable harm to these institutions.
Patrick may score political points by attacking university faculty, but his proposal would inflict significant damage on Texas students and businesses. And, in the process, he would give politicians unprecedented influence over what’s taught in universities.
First, what is tenure? After an extensive, years-long review process to determine mastery and authority in their discipline, faculty are granted tenure. This is an indefinite appointment, meaning professors can only be fired for specific causes and under extraordinary circumstances.
Professors aren’t the only group our society believes warrant this type of protection. For instance, federal judges receive lifetime appointments because we want their decisions to be based on the law and not the prevailing political winds.
Similarly, tenure protects faculty so that their teaching and research is based on their knowledge, data and expertise — not what the state’s political leadership might want to hear. In other words, tenure protects faculty from cancel culture whether their views are liberal or conservative.
Second, tenure directly benefits students. Students learn best from professors who are experts in their fields and willing to ask tough questions, which is exactly what tenure enables. Tenured faculty can ask hard questions and consider difficult answers without fear of losing their jobs by challenging those in power.
While my university, SMU, as a private university is not subject to such a law, this proposal will have a chilling effect on faculty across the state. As a professor who studies higher education, I occasionally teach ideas that my university may not like such as critiquing one of the university’s financial strategies. Tenure allows me to decide what I need to teach and what my students need to learn so they can contribute to the greater good and be successful in their careers. It is a long-standing practice that has allowed new ideas, discoveries and solutions to flourish.
Third, tenure helps universities hire the best professors. Texas public universities must recruit the best and the brightest to be competitive.
To use a football analogy: Patrick’s proposal is like hiring a new offensive coordinator, but telling them they are only allowed to run the ball. No coach in their right mind would ever take a job under those circumstances. And, if you imposed that rule on a current coach, they would leave.
Without a doubt, universities in other states will take advantage of Patrick’s proposal to raid the best faculty from Texas universities. This brain drain will hurt the Texas economy for decades.
Patrick uses critical race theory as the false justification for his drastic power grab. Unfortunately, as in this case, CRT has become a tool for politicians to divide and score points.
CRT is an academic concept that seeks to understand how race is reflected in more than individual biases, but as part of broader systems and policies that have become institutionalized over time. The theory is one of many ways to help understand fields such as education, public policy, sociology and literature.
Despite what some suggest, CRT is not about calling white people racist or attacking the foundation of our country. CRT attempts to explain and understand how attitudes about race influence structures and power in our society. For example, policies from the early 20th century that led to landfills being sited in Black neighborhoods may still have a negative impact if today’s bureaucrats decide to expand existing dumps without thinking about that history.
I understand Patrick doesn’t like CRT. He is free to criticize it, but our world is complicated. No one should have the luxury of canceling ideas. Students need to understand the hows and whys of society and it is our job as faculty to teach them.
CRT isn’t a magic bullet to understanding these problems nor is it taught in every college classroom. Yet, it is one way to understand our world. Faculty need to be able to teach these ideas without the chilling effect of partisan attacks. To ensure this, faculty need tenure.
If politicians can decide what students learn in college, what will come after a ban on CRT? Do we want politics influencing research on finding a cure for cancer, new energy sources or how to improve our society?
In this critical moment, we should not leave faculty alone to fight for themselves. This is no time to remain on the sidelines. University presidents must stand up and defend tenure. Legislators — from both political parties — need to stand up to protect public universities from this unprecedented attack.
In one voice, we need to tell Dan Patrick: Don’t mess with Texas public universities.
Michael S. Harris is a professor of higher education and chair of the Department of Education Policy and Leadership in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU.