AUSTIN—University of Texas System regents announced an interim policy for faculty advisory bodies.
The temporary arrangement will grant individual campus presidents the option to seek faculty input as the board develops a long-term, systemwide approach.
The new policy will “authorize institutional presidents to establish and convene faculty advisory groups, as appropriate, to perform functions necessary for the operation of the U.T. System institutions.”
“The establishment of any such faculty advisory groups shall be reported to and approved by the appropriate Executive Vice Chancellor,” the policy continued.
“We’re gonna take our time, we’re gonna go slow, we’re gonna figure out the best approach,” Regent Chairman Kevin Eltife told the board before they unanimously adopted the interim policy.
The board’s action came in response to state lawmakers’ overhaul of higher education governance—Senate Bill 37—passed during the regular legislative session.
The new law eliminates the final authority or shared power of faculty senates known as “shared governance.” These bodies are now rendered advisory-only in state law.
At state universities, “shared governance” has described a system in which universities’ boards of regents delegate authority to university presidents, who subsequently share power with the faculty, which is represented by a faculty senate, or, in the case of the University of Texas-Austin, a faculty council.
Regents are accountable to Texans through the governor, who appoints them, and the state senate, which confirms them. Before the new law, faculty senates enjoyed no such accountability.
Under the terms of the new law, existing faculty advisory bodies will be dissolved on September 1. Any new entities created after that date may only exist in an advisory capacity.
A timeline for a permanent policy was not announced.
“These are strong first steps,” State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), who authored the law, told Texas Scorecard. He promised to “closely monitor implementation of this law.”
He further stated, “This will return our campuses to learning environments where decisions are based on merit, where innovation is the focus, and world-class research prepares the next generation to keep Texas competitive.”
Regents also approved a contract extension for UT-Austin Athletic Director Chris del Conte. The 11-year, $38 million extension will retain del Conte through 2036.
The Longhorn athletic program has seen unprecedented success under del Conte’s leadership, taking home four out of the past five director’s cups—an award earned by the best overall athletic department in the country—making consecutive college football playoff appearances, and winning a national softball championship in 2025.
Eltife called del Conte “the best athletic director in the country.”
Eltife also announced that tuition and fees at all UT system institutions would remain unchanged for the next two academic years.
Regents finally approved a system-wide budget of just over $33 billion for 2026. Three-quarters of that sum is devoted to system health institutions.
The University of Texas System oversees nine academic institutions and five health care institutions.
