TAMU cuts dozens of low-performing programs, including LGBTQ minor
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board determined that many of TAMU’s offerings were attracting insufficient interest from students.
A Texas state representative praised the decision and called on his fellow lawmakers ‘to end all taxpayer-funded leftist propaganda in every single one of our public institutions of higher learning.’
Texas A&M University (TAMU) recently cut more than 50 academic programs from its course catalog, including its LGBTQ+ Studies minor.
Administrators stated that the decision to eliminate these offerings stemmed from the recognition that these programs were “low-producing” and had either failed to attract sufficient student enrollment to make them sustainable or else had not met performance standards, according to The Texas Tribune.
Following TAMU’s announcement, State Rep. Brian Harrison took to social media to praise the decision, stating that he was “proud to have helped deliver this victory for Texas taxpayers, who should never be forced to fund [these programs].”
Harrison previously criticized a number of proposals for leftist classes at TAMU, including an “alternative genders class,” which he promised to take a stand against if it materialized.
“If they’re going to keep that course, I want an official response from Texas A&M leadership,” Harrison said during an interview with Inside Higher Ed. “I want them to tell me exactly how many genders they believe exist, and I guarantee you, I’m going to formally request that they give me that answer in writing.
“I want to end all taxpayer-funded leftist propaganda in every single one of our public institutions of higher learning. And if it takes extreme budget cuts to get their attention, so be it.”
[RELATED: GOP lawmakers demand Texas A&M drop publicly funded ‘woke’ LGBTQ Studies minor]
Several TAMU faculty affected by the change have criticized the elimination of these programs, alleging that school administrators ignored normal consultation processes for introducing reforms of this nature. Speaker of TAMU’s faculty senate Angie Price claimed that the move to eliminate these programs is “unprecedented.”
“This has never happened before,” Price said. “We have no precedent for a board to decide [to end academic programs] over the wishes of faculty and the president which they deemed low-performing.”
[RELATED: Texas A&M president resigns amid fallout over woke journo prof hiring debacle]
In contrast, TAMU’s resolution which eliminates the programs states that the university has a wide range of measures for identifying subpar programs and, contrary to Price’s allegations, discussed the decision with faculty from multiple departments before enacting the change.
“The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has a well-established process for monitoring the productivity of undergraduate and graduate major degree programs, resulting in the review and potential elimination of programs identified by the THECB as ‘low-producing,’” the resolution reads. “Texas A&M University received input from deans, department heads, and other faculty concerning whether the identified low-producing minors and certificate programs should be retained or inactivated”
Campus Reform has reached out to TAMU for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.