Texas A&M Ends Women's And Gender Studies Program
University ends women's and gender studies, cancels six courses and alters syllabuses in 5,400 classes under a regents' policy restricting race and gender instruction.
Overview
On Jan. 24, 2025 Texas A&M University announced it will end its women's and gender studies program, cancel six courses and alter syllabuses in 5,400 planned classes, school officials said.
The moves follow a November 2024 Texas A&M University System regents' policy that bars teaching that "will advocate race or gender ideology" without campus president approval, a rule critics say restricts academic freedom.
Interim President Tommy Williams said in a Jan. 24 news release that oversight "protect academic integrity," and declined interviews, while Ira Dworkin, associate professor and AAUP vice president, called the move "devastating," faculty statements show.
The policy covers all 12 Texas A&M System schools, whose regents were appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, and prompted a review of 5,400 courses across campuses enrolling 81,000 students, system records show.
Hundreds of students, faculty and alumni protested in College Station on Jan. 23, 2025, and the National Women's Studies Association warned in 2025 that the trend imperils the field, organizers said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this coverage as largely neutral, balancing university statements about oversight and academic integrity with critics’ concerns about academic freedom, and noting protests and the viral video. Reporting emphasizes factual details (course reviews, cancellations, system policy) and includes direct quoted positions, minimizing editorialized language or selective omission.