An impending bill in Texas seeks to prohibit tenure for public colleges and universities and would affect faculty members hired after September 2022. The bill has

alarmed many academics who believe it will exacerbate disparities in job security, pay, and scholarship priorities that already exist on campuses. Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has called for a ban on tenure altogether, and post-tenure reviews are becoming more prevalent across the country.

Proponents of the bill say it will improve the student experience and allow for more freedom of expression, but academics argue it will dampen state colleges' competitive edge and stifle speech in classrooms.

The average salary of a tenured professor is about $150,000, compared to about $66,000 for an untenured instructor, and weakened tenure protections could undermine a university's ability to attract and retain talented faculty members. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.