After a social media post accused Texas of targeting professors pushing “leftist ideologies,”Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) answered they accusation in a post of his own.
Art Markman, a former tenured University of Texas psychology professor, wrote that “the leadership at the University of Texas dismissed me from my academic administration role due to ideological differences” on LinkedIn.
Abbott answered the accusation, repeating the professor’s own statement.
“Univ. of Texas professor was dismissed from an administrative post overseeing university academic affairs because of ideological differences,” Abbott wrote.
He went on to say, “Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation.”
“We must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education,” Abbott added.
Univ. of Texas professor was dismissed from an administrative post overseeing university academic affairs because of ideological differences.
Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation.
We…
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 19, 2025
The accusation comes amid tensions over the educational direction of state universities. Axios reports:
Between the lines: UT is in a moment of transition, with a newly minted president and provost, and a governor-appointed UT System Board of Regents that has signaled zeal for the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape higher education.
Earlier this month, the top official overseeing UT welcomed the White House’s conservative-minded demands on education administration in exchange for federal funding preferences.
The big picture: Two competing camps have emerged over how to win back confidence in higher education.
Some administrators argue for an emphasis on efforts to communicate the work faculty do to impart critical thinking skills among their students — something Markman himself had pressed.
Framing universities as temples of “wokeness,” some Republicans — and particularly the Trump administration — are pushing to change what is taught in classrooms.
In a recent essay in National Affairs, a journal of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, new UT provost William Inboden prescribed more emphasis on Western civilization and a classical liberal arts curriculum as ways to restore public trust in universities.
