The Texas A&M University System’s board of regents on Thursday unanimously approved a new policy requiring campus presidents to sign off on any course that could be interpreted as advocating “race and gender ideology” or topics involving sexual orientation or gender identity, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.
The system defines race ideology as attempts to “shame a particular race or ethnicity” or promote activism rather than academic instruction. Gender ideology is described as a “concept of self-assessed gender identity replacing, and disconnected from, the biological category of sex.”
Faculty are also prohibited from teaching content that deviates from approved syllabi. The policies take effect immediately, but enforcement will begin in spring 2026.
The rules follow controversy over a professor’s classroom discussion of gender identity that was secretly recorded and widely shared.
At Thursday’s meeting, regents chair Robert Albritton said the board had received 142 written comments. Ten faculty members testified, with eight opposing the measures.
Geography professor Andrew Klein warned that “the vagueness of the language is problematic,” asking whether subjects like medicine, public health and law could be impaired. Meanwhile, Philosophy professor Martin Peterson said academics “seek the truth” and sometimes must explore controversial ideas, adding, “It is not always clear what counts as advocating for an ideology.”
Regent Sam Torn told The Texas Tribune that determining the line between advocacy and teaching rests with campus presidents. “We’re simply making sure that we teach what the course syllabus specifies that we teach,” he said.
European history professor Miranda Sachs argued the restrictions could impede teaching about events like the Holocaust. To which Regent John Bellinger later responded that “there’s got to be some common sense in this.”
The board also previewed an expansive new course-content audit ordered after the recordings went viral. James R. Hallmark, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said syllabi and course details will be entered into a database and analyzed by artificial intelligence to flag misalignment with approved content.
“This depth of analysis is unprecedented,” Hallmark said, adding that the audits will complement the new policies.
The policy debate echoes issues raised in the firing of professor Melissa McCoul, who was dismissed after refusing to alter her course to match its catalog description. A faculty panel previously concluded her termination violated academic freedom; her appeal remains pending.
A 24/7 reporting system for students to flag “inaccurate or misleading” course content will also launch. Torn said the system is “setting the model that others will follow.”
