State officials in Texas and Florida are pushing to make it harder for professors at public universities to retain tenure.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick say the college classroom has become too politicized, and they want to guard against “bad behavior.” Education expert Melissa Martin says the idea behind tenure is to assure professors certain job protections.
“I think it might be an antiquated system because originally it was to protect professors with their research,” Martin said.
Those who oppose the GOP-backed proposals claim that limiting tenure will limit free speech. In Texas, the fight could play out during the upcoming 88th legislative session, where state lawmakers are likely to take up the issue. Dan Patrick is vowing to put forward new legislation that would end tenure for all new faculty at state colleges.