Under mounting political and public pressure, the South Dakota Board of Regents adopted a statewide post‑tenure review policy designed to increase faculty accountability, officials said. The board frames the policy as a move toward performance oversight; opponents—including faculty unions and academic freedom advocates—say it could erode substantive tenure protections and chill research and teaching. The decision adds to a national flashpoint over tenure, with implications for faculty recruitment, union activity and governance across regional public systems.