Two striking developments in Texas higher education show trustees and system leaders are reshaping academic offerings and classroom governance. UT San Antonio announced it will fold its Race and Gender Studies department, a move framed by administrators as a curriculum realignment. Separately, the University of Texas System governing board approved a policy restricting instruction on "controversial and contested" subjects, directing faculty to avoid topics deemed not germane and to present "fair" opposing views on disputed issues. Faculty groups and academic‑freedom advocates called the UT System policy vague and chilling, warning it could curtail classroom debate and delegitimize expertise. Administrators defended the measures as clarifying instructional bounds and responding to political scrutiny from state leaders. Both actions signal intensifying state and trustee influence over campus curricula and underscore rising legal and reputational stakes for campus leadership navigating politically charged course content.