Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed Executive Order 2026-07 immediately abolishing academic tenure at the state's public regional universities and community colleges, prompting sharp criticism from the Americ
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
The executive order strips tenure protections from faculty at institutions including the state's six regional universities and its community college system, though it does not apply to the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University, the state's flagship research institutions. The decision affects thousands of faculty members who teach the majority of Oklahoma's college students.
AAUP President Dr. Todd Wolfson condemned the action in a statement released Thursday, calling it an attack on academic freedom with consequences extending far beyond higher education to students, families and the state's economic future.
"By eliminating tenure at the public regional universities and community colleges that anchor local economies and provide affordable pathways to education, Executive Order 2026-07 strips away core protections for academic freedom and faculty stability," Wolfson said.
Tenure, a system of job protection typically granted after a probationary period of five to seven years, is designed to shield faculty from termination based on their research findings or classroom instruction. The AAUP argues the protections enable professors to teach controversial subjects and pursue evidence-based scholarship without fear of political or economic retaliation.
"The principal purpose of tenure is to safeguard academic freedom—the foundation of rigorous teaching, independent research, and honest inquiry," Wolfson said. "With this Order, the State of Oklahoma has sent a clear and deeply troubling message that academic freedom is no longer valued as a core public good."
Wolfson warned the policy change will harm faculty recruitment and retention at affected institutions, which serve as primary access points for affordable higher education in Oklahoma. Regional universities and community colleges enroll a significant portion of the state's college students, many of whom are first-generation or from lower-income families. He predicted the order would accelerate "brain drain" as qualified educators seek employment in states with stronger protections.
The AAUP president framed the executive order within what he described as a pattern of "democratic backsliding," arguing that weakening independent academic institutions threatens democratic norms.
"When political leaders use executive power to weaken independent institutions, silence professional expertise, and punish those who produce inconvenient knowledge, democratic norms erode," Wolfson said. "Public colleges and universities are among the last remaining institutions dedicated to truth-seeking and civic education, and attacks on academic freedom are attacks on democracy itself."
Wolfson also criticized the decision to target regional universities and community colleges specifically, calling it a "fundamental misunderstanding of tenure" that treats it as a privilege rather than an essential working condition for faculty responsible for teaching and research.
He rejected the premise that tenure eliminates faculty accountability, noting that tenured professors remain subject to regular evaluation, post-tenure review and professional standards. "In reality, tenured professors are already subject to regular evaluation, post-tenure review, and professional standards, including the very accountability measures this order claims to advance elsewhere," he said.
The immediate impact on current tenured faculty at affected institutions remains unclear. Representatives for Gov. Stitt's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on implementation details or the rationale behind exempting flagship universities from the order.
