The Texas Tech University System announced that it will be closing all academic programs "centered on" Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity as part of new guidance for course content.
The updated standards come after an initial review of course content and information from the TTU System Board of Regents' Academic, Clinical, and Student Affairs – or ACS – Committee.
The Course Content Review Process was initially outlined in a Dec. 1 memorandum from Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton. Class content related to sexual orientation was required to go through the review process. The memo also prohibits the promotion of "race or sex-based prejudice."
According to a release from the Texas Tech University System chancellor's office, about 1,400 courses were initially identified with course content "potentially related" to "sexual orientation, gender identity, and prohibited advocacy."
Almost 300 courses were "proactively modified" before going to review, more than 680 were determined to be "not applicable" or otherwise modified, and more than 300 qualified for exemptions.
In the end, 92 courses were submitted for review from the ACS Committee and less than 60 were recommended for modification.
The April 9 memorandum provided standards "developed by TTU System leadership in coordination with the ACS Committee leadership" to ensure consistency across the TTU System.
The memorandum explains that the Texas Tech University System will no longer be offering academic credentials in fields "centered on" Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, or SOGI, "including undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, and graduate degrees."
The closure procedure will take the form of a "System-Wide Program Phase-Out," in which programs will be reviewed, admissions will be frozen, and all academic credentials centered on SOGI will be closed.
To initiate the process, the Provost of each university will lead a review to identify qualifying degree programs, majors, minors, tracks, and certificates. A finalized list of programs must be submitted to the Office of the Chancellor by June 15, 2026.
An admissions freeze will then be placed on identified programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Certain graduate programs identified for closure will undergo a "teachout" process, providing temporary frameworks for instructions. According to the memorandum, "currently enrolled students will be able to complete their degrees."
The guidelines also state that currently employed faculty will be able to continue to research and publish "topics of their choosing," but that future hiring will "prioritize recruitment in alignment with this memorandum."
One core component of the guidelines, according to the memorandum, is exemptions for "independent student-directed research and necessary professional licensure or patient-care requirements."
For programs that are not closed or exempt, the memorandum provides guidance to "ensure compliance for all remaining academic offerings" and establishes the Alternate Materials Rule.
Further, the memorandum explains that the TTU System "will collaborate with institutional provosts to develop standardized syllabus templates" to ensure compliance with guidelines and evaluation of course materials from students and university leadership.
The Alternate Materials Rule states that courses that contain material that "are centered on or include sexual orientation or gender identity" must use alternate materials that do not include these topics.
It went on to explain that "incidental references should be avoided when selecting primary materials for core courses." And that if these topics are included in "industry-standard text," the content does not need to be redacted, but instructors "must not highlight, assess, or allocate instructional time to it."
Exceptions to the Alternate Materials Rule may be made for non-core, upper-level undergraduate and graduate coursework.
Exceptions outlined in the memorandum include demographic data sets and analysis; clinical psychology and health services; the discussion of policy, legislation, and legal frameworks pertaining to SOGI, if it is strictly objective and "lacks advocacy for contemporary matters."; as well as certain historical and contextual circumstances.
The memorandum states that material where SOGI is "inextricably linked to the subject's historical significance" may be taught with a focus on "objective literary/historical analysis, not contemporary SOGI advocacy."
It also states that "discussion of the biographical information of historically significant individuals" may be included for context, but that SOGI must not be the primary focus.
In compliance with state and federal law, the guidelines explain that "instructors may not teach that gender identity is a fluid spectrum, endorse the existence of more than two genders, or decouple gender from biological sex as a factual or scientific baseline."
The guidelines allow for the teaching of intersex biology and chromosomal variations, but clarified that "faculty may not use these biological conditions to advocate for or validate sociological frameworks of fluid gender identities."
The memorandum defines "centered on," "includes," and "incidental reference," as they pertain to SOGI standards:
- "Centered On": Course content, readings, assignments, or lectures are "centered on" SOGI when sexual orientation or gender identity serves as the primary subject, main theoretical framework, central narrative, or driving pedagogical purpose.
- "Includes": Course content "includes" SOGI when these themes are present but serve only as secondary background context, demographic data points, or minor components of a broader academic subject.
- "Incidental Reference": An incidental reference is a brief, passing, or factual mention (e.g., a short biographical note, a minor character trait, a single sentence in a larger text) that does not occupy sustained instructional time.
You can read the full memorandum here.
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