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UT Regents Approve Policy Curbing ‘Controversial’ Classroom Content

Campus presidents now must interpret an undefined standard that faculty groups say could chill teaching.

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The UT Tower from the Gates-Dell Complex in Austin on Sept. 19, 2025.
University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, right, presents the Mace of Authority to Jim Davis as he is inducted as President of the University of Texas during a ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Eltife and other UT Regents voted unanimously on Thursday to restrict the discussion of "controversial" topics at UT campuses across the state.
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Overview

  • The Board of Regents voted unanimously on Feb. 19 to require universities to let students graduate without taking "unnecessary controversial subjects."
  • Faculty must disclose planned topics in course syllabi, adhere to those plans, and exclude "unrelated controversial or contested matters."
  • If courses address disputed issues, instructors must use a "broad and balanced approach," though the policy does not define what counts as controversial or balanced.
  • Enforcement details are unresolved, with Chair Kevin Eltife saying "vagueness can be our friend" as the 14 campus presidents implement the rule with system guidance.
  • Professors and advocacy groups warn of self-censorship and possible viewpoint discrimination, and the move tracks broader state shifts under Senate Bill 37 and recent changes at Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UT Austin.