The sense of alarm among many right now is profound. What appears to be a routine “consolidation” of departments within UT Austin’s College of Liberal Arts is, in truth, anything but routine. Words like “flexibility” or appeals to “political neutrality” mask a deeper politics—not only of erasure, but of disciplining how we think, teach, and speak from the authenticity of our own experience and standpoint.
I’m reminded of a conversation years ago with my dear friend and former UT professor, Doug Foley. In the middle of a lively exchange, he looked at me with that characteristic glint in his eye and belted out with his voice, “You’re not supposed to have a standpoint!”
For a moment I was taken aback—“Them’s fightin’ words,” my face must have said. Then he burst out laughing. “What do you expect? You’re a Chicana!” He made me smile.
But his point stays with me. Our universities are under siege. Instead of embracing deliberation and democratic dialogue, they are succumbing to control—decisions made in private rooms, cloaked in bureaucratic language. Words like “consolidate” can easily mask what is, in practice, the erosion of intellectual autonomy and the quiet dismantling of programs that took generations to build—programs born from community struggle and sustained by public trust. It’s disheartening how similar this language sounds to the rationale now being used for the next wave of school closures in the Austin Independent School District.
Departments such as African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, Asian Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies are not bureaucratic redundancies—they are living archives of research, creativity, and truth-telling. They produce cutting-edge scholarship that grapples with some of society’s hardest questions. These programs exist because communities demanded greater balance in perspectives forged through struggle and love.
Their existence testifies to the courage of generations of students, faculty, and community members who refused to let their histories, languages, and epistemologies be erased. I am a product of Mexican American Studies—and I am proud of it. I am a teacher, researcher, friend, and colleague shaped by a tradition of care, rigor, and purpose. We prepare exceptional scholars and public servants who engage the needs of our communities with professionalism, insight, and hope. We do this work well—and it matters.
After all, many of us are from here and live here. We’ve been here since before there ever was a Texas or a United States. Contrary to what some might think, we have nowhere “to go back to.” Our histories, our children, our grandchildren, and our dreams are interwoven with this place. What happens here happens to us.
There’s nothing “woke” about this—there’s only truth: the truth of who we are, where we come from, and our enduring commitment to the future of this place we call home.
Students and faculty are right to demand clarity, transparency, and above all, honesty. We deserve to know what problem this reorganization is meant to solve—and at what cost. When programs that have long served the heart of our communities are merged, diminished, or dissolved, we are not strengthening the university—we are surrendering its soul. And for what? And for whom?
This is not consolidation; it is capitulation.
— Angela Valenzuela
UT explores merging 'fragmented' departments, raising fears over ethnic studies’ futureAs rumors circulate that UT’s ethnic studies programs may be at risk of consolidation, the school’s College of Liberal Arts told faculty a committee is reviewing “overly fragmented” departments.
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From left, Mia, Daniel Schoeggl and Elijah Rivera, from Students for a Democratic Society, lead the crowd in chants at a protest at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, October. 13, 2025. About 150 people gathered to protest Trump's compact, which was sent to UT and eight other schools. If signed, UT will get exclusive benefits but also pledge to follow trump's guidance. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman |
As rumors circulate that the University of Texas’ ethnic studies programs may be at risk of consolidation, the school’s College of Liberal Arts told faculty a new committee is exploring administrative changes to some of the school’s departments that “may have become overly fragmented.
In an Oct. 23 email sent to department chairs, an associate dean wrote that the advisory committee is considering changes to the “administrative departmental structure of the college,” not individual academic programs or centers. However, the consolidation changes may result in some programs losing autonomy, the administrator conceded in the email obtained by the Statesman.
“There are, of course, tradeoffs to be considered, including potentially some loss of autonomy for small units,” wrote Daniel Brinks, the associate dean for academic and faculty affairs. “But the ultimate goal is to strengthen the college and its individual components.”
The task force’s work is to propose ways to reorganize some departments into new larger units that will “provide greater opportunities for collaboration and have more flexibility to accommodate change,” Brinks added.
The email did not name which departments are poised for consolidation, but the committee includes representatives from Asian Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, Classics, American Studies, American Sign Language, Spanish and Portuguese and is chaired by Brinks.
The announcement comes as Texas public universities face tremendous political pressure to rid institutions of “gender ideology” and target LGBTQ and ethnic studies. Texas A&M recently fired children’s literature professor Melissa McCoul when a student accused her of teaching about gender identity in a viral video that caught the attention of Gov. Greg Abbott.
RELATED: Texas A&M professor loses job after talking on gender identity in children’s lit
Third-year PhD student Lena Mose-Vargas, who is pursuing a doctorate in Mexican American and Latino/a Studies, is one of many students who emailed the College of Liberal Arts to oppose the feared consolidation and ask if their program will be impacted. Mose-Vargas, who spoke to the Statesman on behalf of themself, said they received no information in response. They chose to study at UT because of the program’s rigor and fear the rumored changes will compromise their program’s excellence.
“Students are asking questions and they’re not receiving answers,” Mose-Vargas said. “We anticipate, in this political climate and with the particular attacks on WGS (Women and Gender Studies) and ethnic studies, that this is likely going to be what we’re looking at.”
‘A full education’
In a recent speech, President Jim Davis said that UT will restore balance and “completeness” to students’ education amid concerns that departments have become too “splintered and specialized” at the expense of including all viewpoints.
“We don’t want degree programs that are so narrow they develop only one perspective,” Davis said. “Instead we must provide a balanced education — a full education — for every degree program.”
Students have protested the new College of Liberal Arts committee in demonstrations across campus, calling for the institution to resist external political pressures. UT has been silent on whether it will accept an offer from the administration of President Donald Trumpthat would require the institution to close or change programs that “belittle” conservative voices.
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Like students who oppose combining ethnic studies departments, Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies Chair Mary Neuburger joined other department faculty in writing a letter to Interim Dean David Sosa to critique the concept of consolidation. The faculty members said consolidation would threaten their department’s ability to teach the cultural complexities of regions.
“People are upset about this for good reason,” Neuburger said. “Because we’re not understanding what is going to be gained, and we are definitely seeing what is going to be lost.”
The Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies opened in 1917, Neuburger said. Though her department is a segment of global area studies, she fears its size could make it eligible for consolidation. But its size is also an advantage, she said.
The department provides a key opportunity for specialization that can distinguish graduates from other job candidates and allows for in-depth learning. A broadening of her department would prohibit students from deeply understanding important parts of Slavic history, impacting the work and grants its research center brings in, she said.
But Neuburger fears “it’s inevitable,” she said. “It’s going to dilute our ability to do what we want to do. It’s going to dilute our community, and it’s going to take away from our leadership, all the work on our curriculum but also extracurricular programming that’s really important to students.”
The university and the College of Liberal Arts declined to comment.
‘Fighting for a voice’
The College of Liberal Arts houses 20 departments, 18 centers, 9 institutes and 14 programs. The structure of ethnic studies programs is similar to peer colleges, such as the University of Michigan. The Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies reaches students in a wide variety of majors through cross-listed courses and core classes, Neuburger said.
Ethnic studies units, including Mexican American Studies and African American Studies, have existed for more than fifty years, and the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies opened in 1979. Several rose out of student advocacy, expanding over the years to produce more research, programming and academic options, including doctoral programs.
“These programs come from a very long history of students in marginalized communities fighting for a voice,” Mose-Vargas said. “Getting rid of ethnics studies or (Women's and Gender Studies) at UT is not just some meaningless maneuver, it would directly be removing a part of UT’s history from itself, a part that is indispensable to ethnic studies as a whole.”
Last year, Texas A&M University cut its LGBTQ minor along with 51 other minors and certificates because of “low enrollment” after facing pressure from the extremely vocal Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, who called it a “victory.” Texas A&M faculty said they were not given an opportunity to raise enrollment before the cuts.
A department reorganization isn’t the only change UT could face. The UT System is auditing courses concerning gender identity to ensure compliance with system priorities and the law, and the university is conducting its own audit of courses. UT launched a new core curriculum task force to “thoroughly review” general education.
Senate Bill 37, the higher education reform bill passed last session, also charges regents with reviewing programs to ensure schools meet standards for enrollment and return on investment.
Brinks said in his email that the college will consult faculty, staff and students once a proposal is formed. Neuburger said she hopes the College of Liberal Arts listens to faculty and is transparent about goals.
“For an R-1 institution like ours, this is just the model that has worked, that exists nationally for a reason,” Neuburger said, referencing UT's research status. “If they would tell us what exact number is the problem, or what exact problem they’re trying to solve, we could sit down with them and be creative and think through how to solve whatever problems they’re seeing, but they have not.”
Editor's note: This report was updated to reflect that the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies is not classified as an ethnic studies program, but as a global areas study program.
Lily Kepner
HIGHER EDUCATION REPORTER
Lily Kepner started at the American-Statesman in October 2023. She has appeared on BBC, NPR and Texas Standard to talk about her coverage, which has spanned the impact of state laws and politics on the University of Texas, pro-Palestinian protests, free speech, the anti-DEI ban, LGBTQ student belonging and more. Kepner graduated with honors from Boston University's College of Communication in 2023, where she received the college's highest awards for writing and journalism leadership and led the award-winning student newspaper as Editor-in-Chief. In her time with the American-Statesman, she contributed to reporting that won an Edward R Murrow Award for breaking news, won the School Bell Award for Outstanding Feature from Texas State Teachers Association, and Critics Choice for Best of Austin in the Austin Chronicle. Previously, she has been published in USA Today, The Boston Globe, The National Catholic Reporter and GBH. Kepner is passionate about accountability and service journalism and encourages anyone to reach out to her to tell their story or share a tip.
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