Texas A&M Terminates Women's and Gender Studies Program Amid DEI Overhaul
Texas A&M University has announced the termination of its women's and gender studies programs, a move that is part of a broader initiative to eliminate teaching associated with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the institution.
The university also reported modifying hundreds of courses and cancelling six. These changes align with a policy established last November, which prohibits, without presidential approval, instruction that advocates for "race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity."
Interim President Tommy Williams stated that these changes are intended to "protect academic integrity and restore public trust."
The university cited the new policy and "limited student interest in the program based on enrollment over the past several years" as primary reasons for discontinuing women's and gender studies.
Diverse Reactions to the Decision
The decision has elicited strong reactions from various stakeholders.
Ira Dworkin, an associate professor of English at Texas A&M and vice president of the American Association of University Professors at the College Station campus, characterized the action as political interference by the university's board of regents. The board members were appointed by Governor Greg Abbott.
Conversely, critics who identify universities as centers of liberal thought expressed approval of the decision. Inez Stepman, a senior policy and legal analyst at the Independent Women think tank, commented on the shift.
"The era of woke activism training camps funded by ordinary taxpayers is over." She added that if universities desire such programs, they are "free to become truly private and pay their own salaries."
Broader Context and National Trend
Texas A&M is a large public university, serving over 81,000 students in graduate and undergraduate programs. Its recent actions are not isolated.
Other universities, including The University of Iowa, Wichita State University, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, have also curtailed or ended similar programs in recent years.
The National Women's Studies Association issued a statement in 2025 expressing concern about this trend.
"We are understandably saddened, frightened, and enraged about the current state of the field."