On September 8-9, 2025, Texas A&M University president Mark A. Welsh III fired Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer in the English department at the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. He also removed professors Mark Zoran and Emily Johansen from their respective administrative positions as the dean of the College and head of the English department. These actions followed a public incident challenging McCoul’s teaching about gender and sexuality.

The incident originated during the summer 2025 term, when McCoul taught a class on “Literature for Children.” In late July, a student taking the class challenged McCoul’s teaching during a class session, claiming that the course content ran contrary to the student’s religious beliefs and was potentially illegal. The student recorded the interaction. The video included a slideshow containing a graphic, called the “gender unicorn,” which is used to discuss the differences between gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth, sexual attraction, and emotional attraction. In the video, the student states that she has a meeting scheduled to discuss her concerns with President Welsh.

On September 8, 2025, Texas State Senator Brian Harrison posted the video to X with a request to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to fire all Texas A&M officials involved. Harrison is a Texas A&M alumnus and regularly comments on social media about the university. In addition, Harrison posted an audio recording that he explained was taken from a meeting between the student who recorded the video and President Welsh. In the video, Welsh accuses the student of trying to pick a fight and informs her that McCoul will not be fired. Harrison’s posts prompted a public outcry against Welsh from elected officials including Governor Abbot, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and other Republican state lawmakers. Later that evening, Welsh announced on X that he was removing Zoran and Johansen from their administrative leadership positions, effective immediately. He stated that the two had approved teaching plans for McCoul’s course despite the fact that its content did not match the course description.

On September 9, Harrison posted on X screenshots of an email exchange between Johansen and the student. In the exchange, Johansen informs the student that McCoul has asked the student not to attend class for the remaining week of the semester because of “disruptive behavior in class on July 29.” Johansen also reminds the student that unauthorized in-class recordings are subject to disciplinary penalty. In his post, Harrison accuses Texas A&M of attempting to cover up the in-class incident and of threatening the student. That evening, Welsh posted a statement on Texas A&M’s website announcing that McCoul would be fired, effective immediately. He noted that he alone had made the decisions affecting Zoran, Johansen, and McCoul. In the statement and McCoul’s termination letter, Welsh alleged that McCoul had taught course content that was inconsistent with the published description included in the course catalogue and was therefore being fired from her position.

On September 18, 2025, under pressure from Texas state lawmakers, Welsh resigned from his position as president of Texas A&M.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the firing of a faculty member and demotion of administrators over the content of an in-class academic discussion. SAR is additionally concerned that these disciplinary actions were taken without due process and in apparent acquiescence to pressure from outside the university, specifically from elected officials. University leaders have a responsibility to protect academic freedom; to refrain from disciplinary actions that punish, restrict, or chill academic expression; and to resist outside interference into the content of teaching and research. When university leaders fail to meet these responsibilities, they not only harm the immediate victims, they undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Update 1/5/26: McCoul later appealed her dismissal. In November 2025, a faculty panel concluded that McCoul’s dismissal was “not justified.” The committee’s chairperson wrote in the decision that the committee was “especially concerned by the lack of a rigorous investigation into the circumstances, details, specific events and timeline” leading to McCoul’s dismissal. On January 19, 2025, TAMU’s vice chancellor for academic affairs announced that McCoul’s dismissal would be upheld.

Update 2/5/26: In February, 2026, it was reported that McCoul had filed a lawsuit against TAMU, arguing that the university had violated her academic freedom under the First Amendment by firing her.

Sources:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-a-m-s-firing-of-professor-is-a-dangerous-turning-point-for-academic-freedom-advocates-say/ar-AA1MtzrZ
https://www.kbtx.com/2025/09/09/am-dean-professor-removed-following-student-complaints-over-curriculum/
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-am-video-professor-student-gender-identity-content/
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/09/10/texas-am-professor-and-administrators-out-after
https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-classroom-clash-over-course-content-went-viral-texas-a-m-fired-the-instructor-and-removed-2-administrators
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/us/texas-professor-fired-gender-ideology.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/09/09/texasam-gender-teachings/
https://www.chronicle.com/article/was-an-instructors-firing-a-violation-of-academic-freedom-or-an-example-of-academic-responsibility
https://president.tamu.edu/messages/an-update-from-president-mark-a-welsh-iii.html
https://x.com/brianeharrison/status/1965093848520294565
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/us/texas-am-decline-reinstate-fired-faculty-member.html
https://www.chronicle.com/article/an-instructor-was-fired-after-a-viral-recording-of-a-gender-lesson-now-shes-suing-the-university