Texas A&M shutters women and gender studies department amid new policy crackdown

Samuel O’Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jan 30, 2026

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Texas A&M University said Friday it is ending its women’s and gender studies programs, and that hundreds of course syllabuses have been or will be altered under a new policy regulating how race and gender can be discussed in class.

The university wrote in a statement Friday that six courses have been canceled because of the new ordinance and that bachelor’s degrees and certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies would “wind down.” The school pointed to limited student interest and new system policies as reasons why. The school also said it reviewed 5,400 courses to make sure they comply with the new policy.

Students pursuing a degree in Gender and Women’s studies can complete the program, but operation of the program will then shutter.

“For 150 years, Texas A&M has led the way for higher education in Texas, our mission unchanged,” wrote Interim President Tommy Williams in a statement. “Strong oversight and standards protect academic integrity and restore public trust, guaranteeing that a degree from Texas A&M means something to our students and the people that hire them.”

Friday’s announcement comes after the Board of Regents issued a guidance in December prohibiting faculty from “requiring or encouraging students to hold certain beliefs, particularly regarding gender or race ideology or sexual orientation, or to feel shame for belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups.”

After the guidance was issued, faculty were required to submit their course materials for review before being allowed to teach the course.

“Since the A&M System policies were revised on December 18, the university has issued detailed written guidance and established a structured framework for syllabus and course review,” wrote Michael Johnson, associate vice provost for academic enhancement, in a statement to the Star-Telegram. “We have also prepared defined timelines, a phased implementation plan, and a formal process for requesting course exceptions.”

In 2024, the Board of Regents also ordered the university to drop its minor in LGBTQ studies, but Friday’s announcement is the first time A&M has shuttered an entire department and bachelor’s degree program over the regent’s revised policies and new guidelines.

The university’s decision to end the department also comes as several A&M professors have voiced frustrations with the course review process in recent weeks and months. On Jan. 7, philosophy professor Martin Peterson was told by the school that he must drop class readings from his syllabus because they violated the school’s revised race and gender ideology policy. His syllabus included readings from Plato, which were removed from his course and drew major backlash.

University officials on Friday said dozens of other courses still use Plato as required class readings.

“Despite reports to the contrary, students at Texas A&M will continue to have opportunities in at least a dozen classes to study the works of Plato this semester and in every semester moving forward,” a school spokesperson wrote in a statement.

In Peterson’s email to have his course syllabus reviewed by the department under new university policy, he wrote that he did not change much from what he has taught during the course in previous semesters.

“I have made some minor adjustments to the module on Race and Gender Ideology,” Peterson wrote in an email obtained by the Star-Telegram. “These topics are commonly covered in this type of course nationwide. Please note that my course does not “advocate” any ideology; I teach students how to structure and evaluate arguments commonly raised in discussions of contemporary moral issues.”

His course was still flagged and Peterson had to remove readings, including Plato, from his syllabus.

On Jan. 15, professor Leonard Bright was told by the school’s government and public service department that a graduate course he taught was canceled three days into the semester for failure to submit information needed to be exempt from the new gender and race ideology policy.

In an email to employees at A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, Dean John Sherman wrote that Bright was not asked to change course content, but was asked to supply the school information on his course and planned instruction on topics related to race and gender ideology. Because the administration says he didn’t supply the information, his class was canceled.

Bright pushed back, saying the school’s claim that he declined to clarify the fact that this class addressed race and gender is false. Bright also said that his colleagues and students found out about the school’s decision to cancel his class before he did.

“This disrespect my Dean showed towards me was unwarranted,” Bright wrote in a statement on X. “The message was clear: Be very afraid no one can save you from being censored at Texas A&M.”

Bright has been one of the most vocal critics of the school’s strict race and gender ideology policies in recent months. On Thursday, he organized an “Aggies for Academic Freedom” rally on campus, he shared in a post on X.

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