Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa's victory raises questions about the future of higher education policies adopted under Gov. Greg Abbott. A University of North Texas professor explains why change may come slowly.
Texas public universities have spent years adapting to a series of changes in state law that expanded political oversight of higher education. Now, with Democrat Gina Hinojosa preparing to replace Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, university leaders face a different political environment.
But how much can a new governor actually change?
Dr. Barrett Taylor, a professor of higher education at the University of North Texas who studies higher education policy and governance, joined The Lede to examine what Hinojosa's election could mean for public colleges and universities across Texas.
Taylor cautions that the election doesn't necessarily signal an immediate reversal of recent policies.
Although Hinojosa has expressed support for academic freedom and pledged to appoint university regents who respect it, higher education has not occupied the same prominent place in her agenda as issues including public schools and affordability.
One of the governor's most significant sources of influence is the power to appoint members of university governing boards.
Those boards oversee institutional policies, budgets and leadership appointments. Their authority expanded under Senate Bill 37, which Texas lawmakers passed in 2025.
But regents serve staggered terms, meaning Hinojosa will inherit boards largely populated by appointees of Republican governors. At the Texas A&M University System, which includes East Texas A&M University in Commerce, three of the nine regents' terms are scheduled to expire in February 2027.
Other changes would require legislative action.
Senate Bill 17, passed in 2023, restricted diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities. Senate Bill 37 subsequently expanded governing-board authority over academic decisions and faculty governance. Neither law disappears when a new governor takes office.
Taylor also distinguishes between individual academic freedom and shared governance, the principle that faculty, administrators and other university stakeholders should have roles in academic decision-making.
He expects institutions to respond differently to the political transition, depending on their existing leadership, governing boards and institutional priorities.
And he identifies a larger question extending beyond Texas politics: whether a change in political leadership will actually reduce state control over universities.
Taylor says both Democratic- and Republican-led states have expanded their authority over higher education in recent years, although they have pursued different policy objectives.
For Texas universities, the coming year could help reveal whether Hinojosa's election produces a fundamental change in governance or simply a change in the political priorities guiding it.
Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Barrett Taylor above.
