From banning Plato to firing faculty, Texas A&M is ground zero for political attacks on academic freedom. Hear from students and professors about how political censorship threatens quality education and prepares students for a world *they* should learn, not what politicians decide they should learn.

This isn't just about Texas; it's about the future of higher ed everywhere. @aaup.org @texasaft.org

Dr. Leonard Bright speaks to protesters at the Texas A&M civil discourse symposium. Sign reads “Aggies for Academic Freedom.”

“We’re showing the Board of Regents that we’re not backing off.”

@tamu-aaup.bsky.social

www.texastribune.org/2026/04/20/t...

We filed suit against the Trump administration (again) today to block the implementation of an unlawful executive order that seeks to undermine inclusion & equal opportunity, threatens government contractors w/ criminal prosecution, & chills protected speech.

These are not normal times.

Texas A&M civil discourse symposium met with protest Some students said the message of the forum, headlined by former Vice President Mike Pence, rang hollow as the university has placed limits on what professors can teach.

Protest organized by...us!

(You're welcome!)

#BTHOcensorship

TODAY!
Inviting students at Texas Tech University to learn about the escalating campus censorship policies and share any of their experiences under them with Antonio Ingram and other NAACP Legal Defense Fund Attorneys.

The Faculty Are the Problem, Apparently | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson Those who want to diminish the faculty’s decision-making authority, or who think universities should be run more like companies, should be careful what they wish for.

“Most Harvard faculty do not seek an adversarial relationship with their employer. Will that change if our administration continues to treat the faculty as adversaries?“

By our intrepid @aaup.org chapter president, @kirstenweld.bsky.social 🔥

www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...

Today!

Rally for Academic Freedom at Texas A&M!

#BTHOcensorship

Rally at A&M TODAY!!👏✊👇

Faculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing Censorship Fed up with the state’s censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom.

This is the point. Make universities uninhabitable for the people that make universities wonderful.

Texas Tech faculty are “close to the brink,” Schiller said. “It’s a nightmare … Tears are commonplace. I have a colleague who told me recently that going to campus felt like attending a wake.”

Texas AAUP-AFT fights day in, day out for the future of higher ed April 17, 2026

✊💪⭐️When the future of TX colleges + universities is on the line, we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas! This week we have been taking action to defend higher ed. Check out what we’ve been up to below + mark your calendars for next week’s events! 🗓️

aaup-texas.org/blog/f/texas...

On MayDay higher ed workers and students are marching under one banner. We are fast becoming one of the most organized blocs in US society. JOIN US!
@aaup.org @aft.org @seiu.org @uaw.org @higheredlabor.bsky.social @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social @cwaunion.bsky.social @neatoday.bsky.social

CORNELL AAUP | A New Code The Cornell Chapter of the AAUP proposes its recommendations for what the Student Code of Conduct ought to look like, including elements of shared governance, restrictions on the use of extraordinary ...

"University codes of conduct... should be maximally protective of speech. They should treat universities and colleges not as tightly regulated spaces, where any unprescribed activity is a disruption to be repressed, but as vibrant microcosms of a free and open society."

The Yale report on trust in higher education has some good recommendations for reforms in many areas that I hope Yale and other schools implement.

But its diagnosis is oddly silent about what I suspect is the most important force driving the decline in trust in higher education: political attack.

The first thing the new president needs to do is reinstate Dr. McCoul....

#LetUsTeach
#LetStudentsLearn

#BTHOcensorship

Rally for Academic Freedom!

April 20 -- 300pm
Rudder Plaza, Texas A&M

#LetStudentsLearn
#BTHOcensorship

“This decision from a politician-turned-higher-education-administrator shortchanges Texas Tech students & hangs them out to dry in the job market.”

— Brian Evans, Texas AAUP President.

A Better Future for All

In American Educator, @rweingarten.bsky.social and @proftwolf.bsky.social explain why we must defend higher ed institutions and the economic benefits they have for graduates and the greater society—spurring local business development, providing jobs, & generating tax revenue⤵️
aft.org/ae/spring202...

Tax on the outside for Recon 2.0? The chances for tax policy to play a role in a second GOP fiscal package certainly took a hit on Friday.

Ahead of Tax Day, the rigged tax code is on full display. Working families pay an unfair share while the wealthy benefit from tax breaks. It’s time to tax corporations and billionaires, make life affordable for working people, and invest in our communities. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Texas A&M Picks an Insider for President After Months of Conflict

“Pro: Not a politician. Years of leadership experience at TAMU

Con: No academic experience. Never taught students, spent time in a lab or produced research

Will she support the goals of a higher ed institution or continue to remake TAMU into a high school?”

— Leonard Bright, TAMU AAUP President

The preliminary data from the AAUP‘s annual faculty compensation survey is out.

Things are not OK.

How is Title VI being weaponized to erode academic freedom? Join leaders from the AAUP's Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom & Middle East Studies Association on April 16 at 2pmET for a conversation on Title VI and more. @mesa1966.bsky.social Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F9pCM2auTNOH57MP3WR7vw#/registration

How is Title VI being weaponized to erode academic freedom?

Join leaders from the AAUP's Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom & Middle East Studies Association on April 16 at 2pmET for a conversation on Title VI and more.

@mesa1966.bsky.social

Register here: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

‘Accusations of ‘Indoctrination’ Were Nothing but an Excuse’: Texas Tech Roiled by Axing of Programs, Free Speech Lawsuit The shuttering of programs and disciplining of a student have free speech advocates rallying against Texas Tech University.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/04/14/t...

“They tried to weaken higher education, but instead they built a movement to fight for the future...

They can attack our institutions, but they cannot stop our movement….We will not stop until we have the higher education system and the democracy we all deserve.”

— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President

Texas higher-ed leaders urge lawmakers to reassess support ahead of midterms Calling it an “unprecedented” political moment for Texas higher education, students, teachers and supporters marched nearly a mile Monday from the University of

cbsaustin.com/news/local/t...

We were happy to host national AAUP and AFT leaders in Austin for the launch of their new national policy platform. Education for democracy! ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽

@rweingarten.bsky.social: If we're not teaching kids the "how" and "why," and not teaching them how to think critically, we're not doing our job. We have a moral responsibility to do this - and we're seeing autocrats and billionaires stripping higher education because they don't want that.

Dr. Leonard Bright, Texas A&M AAUP: Higher education is not a luxury - it's a public good. Higher ed exists to advance knowledge. But our courses are being scrutinized & altered because of a small group of political actors. @texasaaup.bsky.social @aaup.org @afthighered.bsky.social

@ginafortexas.bsky.social: Our colleges & universities are our best hope for our young people to provide economic opportunities & shape participating citizens in our state. And yet, Governor Abbott is hijacking our colleges to play out culture wars. @afthighered.bsky.social @aaup.org