Texas State Board Upholds Firing of Professor

Texas State had accused the professor of inciting violence. He’s suing.

Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman/Getty Images

The Texas State University Board of Regents signed off on the decision to fire a tenured professor for his comments at a socialist conference, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Texas State University president Kelly Damphousse accused professor Thomas Alter of inciting violence when he fired Alter and revoked his tenure in September. Alter sued and was reinstated while the university reviewed his case using the standard faculty investigatory process. The university upheld Damphousse’s decision in October, according to the American-Statesman.

Alter, an associate professor of history, spoke at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference in part about how “insurrectionary anarchism” had gained ground recently.

“Many insurrectionary anarchists are serving jail time, lost jobs and face expulsion from school,” he said. “They have truly put their bodies on the line. While their actions are laudable, it should be asked, what purpose do they serve? As anarchists, these insurrectionists explicitly reject the formation of a revolutionary party capable of leading the working class to power. Without organization, how can anyone expect to overthrow the most bloodthirsty, profit-driven mad organization in the history of the world—that of the U.S. government.”

Alter’s firing came shortly after Texas A&M University fired a lecturer who faced accusations from a student that her gender identity lesson violated state and federal law. The university faculty council and an appeals panel have found that the university wasn’t justified in firing the lecturer.

To faculty and free speech advocates, both firings are the latest evidence of an erosion of academic freedom in the Lone Star state.

The Texas State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors had called on the regents to reverse Alter’s firing. “Dr. Alter’s dismissal exposes a flagrant disregard for the system’s own policies,” chapter president Aimee Villarreal said in a statement before the regents’ decision. “The regents owe the public accountability for following the rules they are appointed to enforce.”