A new survey shows Texas professors are ready to pack their bags—and it’s not because of the weather. Roughly a quarter say they’ve already applied for jobs in other states, and another 25% are about to start looking. Even the ones sticking around admit they’re not planning to stay in higher ed long-term. The culprit? A political climate that makes teaching feel like tiptoeing through a minefield.
Faculty cite laws gutting DEI programs, tinkering with tenure, and sidelining professors from shaping curriculum. Add in stagnant pay and contract cuts, and suddenly the Lone Star State isn’t looking so attractive for academics. One professor summed it up: “We live in fear of using the wrong word. We self-censor. We do not have academic freedom.” Sounds less like a university, more like a bad HR training video.
More than 60% of Texas respondents said they wouldn’t recommend the state to grad students or colleagues. That’s the academic equivalent of giving your own restaurant a one-star Yelp review. And with other states suing federal agencies for gutting research funding while Texas politicians busy themselves micromanaging classrooms, it’s no wonder faculty are planning their exit strategies.
Universities are supposed to be places for free inquiry, but in Texas, they’re becoming political battlegrounds. And when your best professors are eyeing the door, the so-called “brain drain” isn’t hypothetical—it’s happening.
At this rate, Texas higher ed won’t need tenure reform—there won’t be anyone left to tenure.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/texas-faculty-university-political-climate-survey/
