Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a new law requiring public college and university governing boards to create policies that clearly separate tenure decisions from disciplinary actions for faculty accused of misconduct. The law also sets a unified disciplinary standard for tenured and nontenured faculty before termination or suspension. Supporters said the rules prevent tenure status from becoming a “shield” against misconduct consequences, while critics argued the approach weakens due process by removing faculty votes or recommendations from the disciplinary decision pathway. Under the bill summary, disciplinary actions must be made by the institution’s chief executive officer or chief academic officer without faculty input. The law also bars using tenure status itself as a disciplinary mechanism and requires institutions to adopt policies aimed at preserving institutional neutrality, free expression, and civil discourse. Those policies must also be posted publicly. The implementation will test how quickly public systems can update faculty handbooks, governance processes, and complaint pathways while maintaining consistent disciplinary standards across institutions.