Texas A&M will not reinstate Melissa McCoul, the instructor dismissed after a viral classroom confrontation over a gender-identity lesson, the university announced in a memo. The system’s vice chancellor said the dismissal was for "good cause," rejecting a faculty panel that earlier found McCoul’s academic freedom violated and criticized the termination process. The episode spotlights continuing campus governance conflicts over classroom content, faculty process and presidential authority at large public institutions. A broader review of the year's most-read higher-education commentary shows sustained attention to cases where academic freedom and administrative discipline collide, with university presidents and trustees repeatedly tested by viral incidents and social-media scrutiny.