A professor of psychology at the University of Texas was recently fired as the state works to push out those with “leftist ideologies.”
Art Markman said on his Linkedin last week that he was dismissed from his administration role due to “ideological differences,” having spent 27 years at the university.
He has most recently served as senior vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Texas.
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the firing on social media.
“Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation,” Abbott said on social media. “We must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education.”
The University of Texas is one of nine universities that have been offered a compact agreement with the Trump administration that would provide it with better access to federal funding in exchange for restrictions on hiring and admissions standards.
The compact demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, limit international undergraduate enrollment to 15% or less, require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test and end grade inflation.
A White House spokesperson said that universities rejecting the offer should not expect any further federal support.
“Merit should be the primary criteria for federal grant funding. Yet too many universities have abandoned academic excellence in favor of divisive and destructive efforts such as ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ ” Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to Politico.
“The Compact for Academic Excellence embraces universities that reform their institutions to elevate common sense once again, ushering a new era of American innovation,” Huston continued.
“Any higher education institution unwilling to assume accountability and confront these overdue and necessary reforms will find itself without future government and taxpayers support.”
Six schools have rejected the compact. The University of Texas has yet to decide.
UT said it would “welcome the new opportunity presented to us and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration on it.”
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