Much to his surprise, Iván Chaar López learned in February that he would not be awarded tenure at the University of Texas at Austin, despite enthusiastic recommendations from faculty and external reviewers. At some point while the president’s promotion and tenure committee was evaluating his application, his bid for tenure was denied. Chaar López, who has worked at UT since 2020 as an American studies professor, never received an explanation for the denial, but he has theories based on the university’s recent decisions to consolidate ethnic studies departments and restrict what faculty can talk about in the classroom.
Chaar López has since exhausted two out of three options to appeal the decision, he said, and he is currently in the middle of a grievance process, arguing that his academic freedom was violated. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August.
UT Austin American studies professor Iván Chaar LópezIván Chaar López
In an emailed statement to Inside Higher Ed, a UT spokesperson said, “Tenure is a privilege, not a right.”
“UT does not rubber stamp decisions of such importance. The tenure review process is handled thoughtfully, fairly, and professionally with a thorough system of checks and balances to ensure the highest standards of teaching and research,” the spokesperson wrote.
