A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum
The Department of Justice has also acknowledged the situation and said it would be investigating.
www.kbtx.com
A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum
The Department of Justice has also acknowledged the situation and said it would be investigating
A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum
By Rusty Surette
Published: Sep. 8, 2025 at 11:42 PM EDT|Updated: 12 hours ago
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A Texas A&M professor under fire by university, state, and federal leaders is under investigation after a student in her class raised concerns over the topic of gender studies in the curriculum.
The matter was shared first on X by Texas Representative Brian Harrison, an Aggie, who added a cell phone video of the exchange between a student and Dr. Melissa McCoul.
Late Monday night, Texas A&M President Mark Welsh shared the following statement:
“I learned this afternoon that key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description. As a result, I directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions, effective immediately. Our students use the published information in the course catalog to make important decisions about the courses they take in pursuit of their degrees. If we allow different course content to be taught from what is advertised, we let our students down. When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep our word to our students and to the state of Texas.”
KBTX reached out to the student who objected to the class topic in the video, but did not receive a reply. We also contacted the student who took the video, and she declined to speak publicly at this time.
CAUGHT ON TAPE: TEXAS A&M STUDENT KICKED OUT OF CLASS AFTER OBJECTING TO TRANSGENDER INDOCTRINATION... and A&M President defends "LGBTQ Studies."
I'm referring @TAMU to the Trump Administration for investigation... and asking Gov @GregAbbott_TX to fire the A&M officials… pic.twitter.com/J6IWsfw62I
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) September 8, 2025
In his post online, Representative Harrison said a student was kicked out of class after objecting to “transgender indoctrination.”
On Monday evening, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, replied on X, saying, “This is deeply concerning,” and the DOJ would investigate.
On Monday night, Chancellor Glenn Hegar shared this statement:
“It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda. We have been tasked with training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals. That responsibility should prioritize protecting children not engaging in indoctrination.
Today, I was made aware of video recordings as well as instructional materials which are irreconcilable with the values of The Texas A&M University System. Early investigations appear to indicate that the professor who taught this course failed to comply with clear instructions to align course descriptions with course materials. Further findings reveal that this failure continues to be an issue with this professor.
I will work with the Board of Regents to make certain that the A&M System takes the disciplinary action necessary to ensure this does not happen again at one of our campuses."
Last week, the Texas Tribune shared results of a study showing that many professors want to leave the state because of the tense political climate.
You can read that story here.
The survey interviewed nearly 4,000 faculty across the southern U.S., including more than 1,100 from Texas. About a quarter of the Texas professors said they have applied for higher education jobs in other states in the last two years, and more than 25% said they soon intend to start searching for out-of-state positions. Of those who aren’t thinking of leaving, more than one-fifth said they don’t plan to stay in higher education in the long-term.
