Institutions are confronting governance and reputational crises on two fronts: departmental closures and high-profile faculty tenure disputes. The University of Texas at San Antonio announced it folded its Race and Gender Studies department, an administrative move reflecting political and financial pressure on area studies programs. The decision signals how program-level governance and external politics can trigger structural changes on campus. Separately, a Massachusetts judge dismissed former Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman’s lawsuit challenging Harvard’s denial of tenure, affirming institutions’ wide discretion in promotion and tenure decisions. The ruling underscores judicial deference to faculty review processes and highlights reputational risk and procedural scrutiny when tenure refusals intersect with public controversy. Legal and academic leaders should expect continued litigation risk tied to personnel decisions and increased public scrutiny of program eliminations; both developments may spur closer board oversight and demand clearer documentation of review processes.