A task force commissioned by Texas A&M’s interim president is finishing its second month creating policies and procedures to protect faculty when they face being suspended and similar issues.
A draft of what is called a policy on academic freedom and faculty protection was presented at the September 11th A&M faculty senate meeting by senior associate vice president of faculty affairs Heather Lench.
The task force was created following the revelation during the summer of an A&M faculty member who received a two week suspension last March after delivering a lecture at the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston.
The draft policy follows a statement that A&M leadership announced in August that it is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure that topics that are discussed are related to the classroom subject.
The draft includes the type of serious misconduct that could warrant a faculty member being placed on administrative leave, and the chain of command of who will be involved in determining that action.
Lench also said the draft is consistent with an A&M system policy.
Click below to hear comments from Heather Lench during the September 11, 2023 A&M faculty senate meeting.