The University of North Texas has named critical race theory scholar Dr. Albert Bimper as its interim provost and top academic official.
As first reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle, UNT President Harrison Keller announced Bimper’s appointment in a Wednesday email to faculty and staff.
Bimper has held a series of positions since his 2023 hiring, most recently as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He previously worked at Colorado State University and Kansas State University. He received his Ph.D. from UT-Austin in 2012.
Bimper had a brief NFL career and his academic scholarship primarily focuses on racial issues related to college athletics. He has explicitly discussed his use of critical race theory as a “lens” on several occasions.
While a comprehensive examination of Bimper’s scholarship could run for dozens of pages, examples include:
- “Black Collegiate Athletes and the Neoliberal State,” a 2021 book described by its publisher as an analysis of “sociocultural productions of power, knowledge, identity, and resistance through the lens of race in collegiate athletics.” The book argues that “neoliberal beliefs and practices have perpetuated racial inequality through the system of collegiate sport.”
- “Successful Undergraduate African American Men’s Navigation and Negotiation of Academic and Social Counter-Spaces as Adaptation to Racism at Historically White Institutions,” a 2020 academic paper that asserts black men must “navigate and respond to racism” at institutions of higher education. From that premise, the paper further discusses “support programs, affinity groups, and campus organizations” as part of this process.
- “The Mis-Education of the African American Student-Athlete,” a 2017 academic paper that examines “this phenomenon through the lens of Critical Race Theory to … suggest an alternative pedagogy.”
Bimper’s official UNT biography does not include links to his academic scholarship, which is unusual for taxpayer-subsidized universities that often wish to highlight professors’ work.
Texas Scorecard has previously reported on coursework from Bimper’s term as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts that promoted witchcraft, demonology, “queer anti-capitalism,” and “sexual liberation politics.”
UNT’s Provost is the chief academic officer. He “provides leadership in the development and supervision of the university’s academic programs and curriculum.”
Under a state law passed in 2025, provost hires require approval from the Board of Regents. The law is unclear whether this provision applies to interim hires.
That same law gives the university president, Harrison Keller, final jurisdiction over day-to-day university operations.
Keller reports to the Board of Regents.
The University of North Texas did not immediately respond to a series of detailed questions about Bimper’s hire. This article will be updated with any responses received after publication.
The University of North Texas is a component of the University of North Texas System. The UNT System is overseen by a Board of Regents that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Carlos Munguia of University Park is the current board chairman.
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