AUSTIN — The University of Texas at Austin plans to eliminate four majors in African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, women’s and gender studies, and race, indigeneity and migration, university officials confirmed.
Danielle Pilar Clealand, interim chair of the Social and Cultural Analysis Department, told faculty Tuesday that the provost’s office rejected their proposal to retain the majors, according to an email obtained from KUT News.
Mike Rosen, a UT spokesperson, confirmed that the university has stopped enrolling new students in the Mexican American and Latina/o studies, African and African Diaspora studies, and women’s and gender studies programs.
“Students currently enrolled in those majors will be able to complete their degree,” Rosen said.
Faculty question future of programs
UT announced in February that it planned to consolidate seven ethnic and gender studies departments within the College of Liberal Arts into two departments. David Sosa, who served as interim dean at the time, said the university would continue reviewing majors, minors and course offerings.
Faculty now question whether the changes will affect the availability of courses and academic programs.
Julie Minich, a professor in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis who teaches Mexican American and Latina/o studies, said faculty received two weeks in August to develop a proposal for future majors.
Faculty proposed a new social and cultural analysis major while asking UT to retain most of the existing programs, Minich said.
Minich argued that students need opportunities to study race, ethnicity and gender in depth as they prepare for careers across various professional fields.
“Eliminating a major in this way is censorship. It is reducing what students are able to study,” Minich said. “As these classes become less available to students, one, it curtails student freedom to learn, but two, it curtails students’ career prospects.”
Lauren Gutterman, an associate professor in the department who teaches American studies, said eliminating the majors could make it more difficult for the department to meet enrollment requirements for courses.
“Even what courses we will be able to offer next semester is unclear at this point,” Gutterman said. “What the next academic year, the 2027-28 academic year, will look like is just incredibly unclear and chaotic.”
UT considers majors with tracks
The Department of Social and Cultural Analysis currently houses six majors, nine minors and certificates, and four graduate programs.
Clealand said the provost’s office agreed to retain urban studies and American studies as majors but wants the other majors consolidated.
According to Clealand’s email, Daniel Brinks, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, suggested creating either an ethnic studies major with tracks or a social and cultural analysis major with tracks. Clealand noted that UT already uses a similar structure in its newly created Department of European and Eurasian Studies.
Minich said UT Austin played a central role in developing Mexican American studies and argued that eliminating the major would weaken the university’s connection to the field.
“It’s a good thing when a university is known as one of the best places in this country to do this kind of work,” Minich said. “By cutting off this field of study in particular, as an area where undergraduate students can focus, is really cutting off a central source of its own prestige.”
Gutterman, who joined UT in 2015, said she has not experienced such a lack of communication from university leadership during her tenure.
“There’s been no direct communication from the provost with faculty in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, no clear explanation about why these degree plans are being shut down,” she said. “There’s no evidence that this is response to student demands. So the justification is just entirely lacking.”
Gutterman also expressed concern that the changes could eventually affect faculty positions.
In May, the UT System Board of Regents approved a policy that gives university presidents greater authority to eliminate academic programs and positions associated with those programs.
