The University of Texas System board approved new rules that would make it easier for UT institutions to eliminate academic programs and cut faculty. The revised policy allows presidents to cut programs without faculty review and to remove specific faculty roles through a pared-down appeals process. Under the new framework, a chief academic officer can recommend program and faculty cuts using criteria set by the president, and a president’s decision to eliminate an entire program would not be subject to appeal. Tenured faculty would face limits on challenges tied to individual job eliminations versus broader program terminations. The policy change arrives amid concerns about academic freedom in Texas public colleges, including previously enacted state law changes that reduced faculty governance bodies to advisory-only roles. For higher education leaders, the risk is procedural: reduced faculty participation in program decisions could accelerate restructuring while increasing the likelihood of disputes over governance, due process, and compliance standards across the UT system.