The University of Texas at Austin is set to consolidate seven departments at the College of Liberal Arts into two new departments beginning in the fall.
The information was shared with faculty by the interim dean of the college, David Sosa, in an email on Thursday. Some faculty claim changes have been rushed because of political pressure.
It is the first time faculty have received official written communication from a UT official since the consolidation was announced in February. Faculty members said they were told at the time that changes were likely to be finalized by September of 2027, but they were not given a precise timeline.
Multiple faculty members confirmed with KUT News that Sosa said in a meeting with the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies (MALS) in March that the provost's office determined the changes needed to happen before the Texas Legislature comes back into session in January of 2027.
Julie Minich, who teaches in the department, said this undermines the mission of the university.
"To make this happen for fall 2026, I think this timeline is really detrimental for students' education," she said. "[It] effectively means that the primary consideration here is politics and not the education of students."
In a separate email sent to some students, Sosa said the university will continue sharing updates on the new departments, including changes regarding programs, majors, minors and offered courses.
"All students currently associated with the departments involved will receive guidance, advising, and resources to remain on track for graduation," he said.
Lauren Gutterman, a professor in the department of American studies, said she's concerned that the email did not specify whether students will be able to graduate from the programs they are currently enrolled in.
"I'm sure it causes students a lot of fear and anxiety," Gutterman said. She said students attend UT because they are looking for a wide range of fields to study, but that may no longer be the case. "It sends a broader message to students beyond these majors that not all fields of study will be supported and that there will be a narrowing on what students can study and major in," Gutterman said.
In the email to faculty, Sosa said the review of the curricula for the two newly formed departments will be done through a "consultative process" during the 2026-2027 academic school year.
"To provide as seamless a transition as possible, we are now working simultaneously on appointing departmental leaders, aligning staff with the new structures, attending to governance, and integrating departments into common spaces," he said.
Faculty say they don't know how changes will take place so quickly, since they are still missing key information like budgets, configuration of the department and governance structures.
"None of us are really clear on how such an endeavor like this could be done by the fall of 2026," Danielle Pilar Clealand, a MALS professor, said. "It also just speaks to the lack of care that the institution has shown in this process and how this is going to affect us, our students, and our staff."
Clealand said there have been verbal promises that no faculty will be laid off with the changes, but she's skeptical.
The two new departments that will house faculty from the seven currently existing departments are the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis and the Department of European and Eurasian Studies. Minich says they are still in the dark about how these departments will manage faculty that have very different areas of research.
"Social and cultural analysis does not exist as a field," she said. "We have to come up with this major in a field that doesn't exist in less than six months without any basic information."
Sosa said in his email that UT is integrating departments into common spaces. Clealand said faculty are concerned about where the new departments will be located. MALS and African and African Diaspora Studies departments have long been at the Gordon White Building, which has a mural and art installations to reflect their areas of study and a pantry for students to take whatever they need.
"It's a safe space for the students, so we're really worried about that," she said.
It is still unclear to faculty how or who will be in charge of the review of the curricula. Faculty have asked Sosa and the university to put the consolidation in a written timeline, including who will be involved.
KUT News reached out to UT officials and Dean Sosa for comment but has not heard back.
Copyright 2026 KUT News