Austin, Texas
January 21, 2026
Contact: Karma Chavez, karmachavez@gmail.com; Pauline Strong, strongpolly@gmail.com
AAUP at UT Denounces Closing of Offices, Firing of Staff
On Friday, January 16, UT Austin Provost William Inboden sent a message to a small number of
administrators announcing administrative reorganizations and the closing of several key units on campus, including the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Community Engagement, the Vick Advising Excellence Center, and the Office of Undergraduate Research. In his
message, which the AAUP at UT executive committee obtained, Inboden justified his decision
as an effort to “optimize our administrative structure and streamline our academic operations,” and maintained that “resources provided by these programs will be repurposed to better serve CSUs with parallel functions.” Reportedly, staff within these offices received notification of their termination, effective May 1, 2026. Many members of the UT campus community learned of these changes on social media or from the terminated staff members themselves. The AAUP
executive committee expresses serious concern about the closing of these offices, the lack of
communication with faculty, the unclear plan for continuing the vital services the offices provide
to the campus community, and the firing of so many staff who have contributed directly to
teaching and research excellence.
Reorganization can be an important strategy of effective and evolving organizations. However,
shuttering integral academic offices without also providing a plan for how their work will continue
not only represents a disrespectful communication strategy amid so much uncertainty in Texas
higher education but also suggests a grave threat to the educational mission of the university. In
particular, these moves seem poised to negatively impact the undergraduate student experience
by depriving students and faculty of centralized and consistent resources on the 40 Acres.
These offices, which are similar to offices that exist at all our peer institutions, serve the
following functions:
● The Center for Teaching and Learning has been an integral part of UT for more than
50 years, “collaborating with instructors at all stages of their careers to design
transformative learning experiences that challenge and inspire both students and
educators.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CTL was crucial in helping faculty
across campus transition their courses to online delivery. In ordinary times, faculty
regularly seek support in understanding pedagogical approaches, assignment
construction, classroom technology and AI. Faculty have benefited from competitive
grants that support creative projects designed to improve teaching and learning at UT.
We cannot fathom why an administration committed to excellent teaching and learning
would close the CTL.
● Through hundreds of diverse community partnerships, The Office for Community
Engagement uses university resources “to support students in attaining real-world
experience through their courses, to help faculty establish mutually beneficial
relationships with community, and to address community priorities with collaboration
solutions.” This has included purchasing the John S. and Drucie R. Chase Building in
east Austin, a space “dedicated to honoring and fostering community connections to UT
Austin’s students and the broader Austin community.” Building and maintaining
community partnerships are essential to fulfilling UT Austin’s mission as a public
university, and this closure sends a very negative message to both campus and
community.
● The Vick Advising Center not only helps students across campus explore majors,
manage transfers, and work out issues with their core curriculum, but also provides
training for all of UT’s academic advisors, aids in their use of technology, and supports
their professional development. Named after legendary mathematics professor and
former Vice President for Student Affairs James Vick, the Center has championed the
commitment to student success for which he was known. How does closing this Center
serve the interest of UT undergraduates and the advisors who support them?
● The Office of Undergraduate Research “supports student engagement in the research
and creative activity of the university” through giving students access to research
opportunities across campus, holding research competitions, coordinating course credit
opportunities, and working with faculty to mentor undergraduate student researchers.
Like the Bridging Disciplines Program, whose director was also terminated, this office
was formerly part of the School of Undergraduate Studies. Both programs were priorities
of the School of Undergraduate Studies and we must ask: why are undergraduate research and interdisciplinary learning opportunities not a priority of the Provost? These terminations deprive UT Austin of dedicated, experienced staff members performing roles essential to UT’s mission. And, to our dismay, it appears that roughly 3/4 of those receiving pink
slips are women. This seems to be a trend at UT, and it is worrisome. We must connect this
latest onslaught of staff firings with those that occurred in the aftermath of the implementation of SB 17 in April 2024, when upwards of 80 percent of the fired staff came from underrepresented backgrounds. How can UT support the success of all students and faculty when its purges continue to primarily target staff who are women, LGBTQ, and/or of color?
“We call on the Provost to share with the entire campus community his justification for these
closures and his plans to ensure that students and faculty continue to receive the support
needed to achieve success,” Karma Chavez, the president of the AAUP chapter at UT Austin,
said. “We also urge the Provost to include faculty in decisions about restructuring so that the resources we need to be good teachers are appreciated and preserved. Good university
governance demands communication and consultation.”