Regents of the University of Texas System approved the tenure application Friday of a UT-Dallas professor who was arrested after attempting to obstruct law enforcement in 2024.
After deferring consideration of UT-Dallas tenure appointments at their regular meeting in August—following reporting by Texas Scorecard that history Professor Rosemary Admiral was part of the tenure cohort—regents held a brief meeting by telephone Friday morning to approve the controversial candidacy and slate of other UTD tenure applications.
Admiral was arrested in 2024 after she tried to block law enforcement efforts to clear a tent encampment created by pro-Hamas agitators during anti-Israel “protests” on UT-Dallas’ campus.
She and a UT-Dallas colleague spent the night in jail and were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass. The charges were ultimately dropped.
Admiral sued UT-Dallas in 2025, alleging that they retaliated professionally by restricting her campus access after her arrest. That lawsuit is currently pending.
Both UT-Dallas and the UT System concealed records requested by Texas Scorecard until after Admiral’s tenure petition received final approval.
Under Senate Bill 18, passed in 2023, boards of regents must grant final approval for all new faculty tenure designations across taxpayer-subsidized universities.
UT-Dallas is a component of the University of Texas System. The UT System is overseen by a Board of Regents that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Kevin Eltife of Tyler is the current board chair.
If you are a student, parent, professor or concerned citizen who would like to partner with us to promote transparency in taxpayer-subsidized higher education, please email scorecardtips@protonmail.com.
