UT ends Flag courses requirements, including diversity; plans new model. Here's why.
The University of Texas will end its Flags program effective immediately, eliminating its graduation requirements for cultural diversity, global cultures, ethics, quantitative reasoning, independent inquiry and writing courses, the university announced Monday.
Interim President Jim Davis and newly appointed Provost David Vanden Bout authorized retiring the program after reviewing the preliminary results of a Flags Review Committee, which drew from data and faculty, student and employer perspectives. It affirmed the value of the Flags program and its purpose but recommended reforming it to better align graduation requirements with program outcomes, regularly review skills for current career and world preparedness, implement an alternative administrative model, and better communicate the value of these skills.
On its website, UT says its Flag program prepares students "to communicate effectively, engage in ethical decision-making and independent problem-solving, and understand the diverse, data-dense world."
In an exclusive interview with the American-Statesman on Monday, Art Markman, senior vice provost for academic affairs, said UT will launch a new skills-based approach called a Comprehensive Learner Record project in fall 2026. It will take 36 skills from six categories, as determined by both academics and employers, and "infuse" them into its curriculum. Without the Flag requirements, students will have more agency over which skills to acquire, he said.
More: Texas House bill proposes to ban DEI in required university curriculum
UT's decision to eliminate its Flags program comes at a time when lawmakers are considering bills to bar diversity-related core requirements and are pressuring universities to comply with the "spirit" of Senate Bill 17, a 2023 state law that banned diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring, support offices and programs at all public universities and colleges. The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2024, explicitly exempted DEI in academic courses and research.
Republican lawmakers who are pushing bills to end diversity requirements say their proposals will prevent "indoctrination" and better prepare students for the workforce. Opponents of the proposals, however, say they will invite government censorship into higher education and harm students.
Markman said the Comprehensive Learner Record has been in the works for years, and the timing of its rollout as lawmakers are weighing curriculum bills was "unfortunate" but not related.
"The Comprehensive Learner Record approach is the right way to ensure that our students are maximizing their value of a college education," Markman said. "Even if it leads to some perceptions that it's being done in a reactive way, what we're doing is actually very proactive and something that we think is going to be an enormous benefit to our students."
More: What are 'flags' at UT, and why is the school reviewing them? Senior Vice Provost explains
The state has its own core curriculum requirements, but Flags were created about 20 years ago to prepare all UT graduates with skills that are valuable for civic and professional life. Former UT President Jay Hartzell announced that the university initiated a review of its Flag program to lawmakers during an interim Senate Higher Education subcommittee hearing in November, saying UT would ensure the core requirements were timely and did not impede with graduation rates.
At a UT Faculty Council meeting in March, some faculty members asked the Flags Review Committee's chair pointed questions about the need for an expedited review of the program and why the university was targeting skills and experience instead of pushing for producing knowledge.
The Comprehensive Learner Record seeks to simplify curriculum and streamline paths to graduation by allowing students to consider what skills to learn that will directly affect their future careers without subjecting them to university requirements, administrators said.
Markman said UT is piloting the new project now — by connecting skills that are already being taught to evidence that students are acquiring them — to better communicate the value of such education to the public and employers.
"This is really something that we see as helping to transform a university education, and so we're very excited about this approach," he said. "At a time when we know that there is growing concern and sometimes even mistrust about the value of a college education, it's important for universities to step up and really demonstrate the critical value of a four-year college education."
The university's decision to end the Flags program was announced Monday because it's the first day of fall course registration, Markman said.
The six categories in the new program are communication; quantitative and empirical research; global awareness and social awareness; creativity and innovation; leadership, ethics and collaboration; and critical thinking and problem solving. The 36 skills derived from these categories that will be infused into the school's curriculum will change over time, however, to align with changing workforce needs, Markman said.
More: Texas senators threaten no new university funding until schools fully comply with DEI ban
He said the university values cultural diversity and global cultures and its relation to the workforce, but the shift will allow students to decide for themselves to take such courses.
"The university continues to believe that an understanding of the world, an understanding of the global marketplace, and global society is crucial for the success of our students," Markman said. "We recognize that this is extremely important but really want to make sure that it is infused through the curriculum in a way where students are aware of the skills that they're developing and the value of those skills."
At a Senate Finance Committee meeting Feb. 6, Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Republican from Conroe who chairs the Senate Education Committee, asked Hartzell, the school's former president who was UT's chief at the time, about the "likelihood" of university flags being eliminated.
For "courses that have very few students applying and they don't have an equivalent value in the workforce, and is that what the University of Texas chooses to offer or should offer?" Creighton asked.
At that hearing, Creighton touted decisions by the University of North Texas removing mentions of diversity from its curriculum and Texas A&M University eliminating its LGBTQ minor and 51 other minors and certificates for low enrollment as complying with the "spirit" of SB 17.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: University of Texas ends flag courses requirement, including diversity
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