COLLEGE STATION—Following some November 2024 eliminations, the regents of the Texas A&M University System will likely terminate dozens more “low-performing” academic programs. But how state lawmakers decide to define the term “low-performing” will impact the regents’ actions.
This was revealed at a preliminary update during the May meeting of the board of regents. The presentation, delivered by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs James Hallmark, flagged 14 academic minors and 35 certificate programs for potential elimination at the College Station campus.
In addition, the review could target 17 programs at Prairie View A&M and a handful at other institutions.
Dozens of other programs across the university system were flagged, although none has yet risen to the threshold of elimination.
The Texas A&M University System is the parent organization of 11 universities, including Texas A&M University at College Station.
The review followed the board’s November 2024 abolition of several academic minor programs and certificates, such as “queer studies” and “cultural competency,” that had generated widespread criticism and closer inspection by state lawmakers. At the November meeting, regents had ordered the chancellor’s office to revise the system’s policy for “low-producing programs.”
During the May meeting, Hallmark told regents that Senate Bill 37, a higher-education reform measure state lawmakers are currently considering, could impact how the phrase “low-performing” is defined. The A&M system will incorporate state lawmakers’ definition into its final policy.
Regent Sam Torn, chair of the board’s academic affairs committee, asked Hallmark how the system could ensure the faculty is “teaching, not advocating” in the classroom. Hallmark spoke of the need “to empower department heads to communicate this,” but acknowledged that addressing this concern is an “inexact process.”
The Texas A&M University System is expected to finalize its policy in the coming months. Depending on the outcome of this process, regents could take action at their August meeting.
