Regents Strengthen Transparency and Accountability Across the Texas A&M System
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents today announced sweeping steps to strengthen transparency, accountability, and confidence in academic programs across the System’s 12 universities.
The effort — known as the Academic Review and Transparency Initiative — establishes a process that repeats every semester to evaluate every undergraduate course offering. It also expands the System’s secure, confidential online reporting portal operated by the System Office of Ethics and Compliance (SECO).
At the direction of the Board, Chancellor Glenn Hegar and his team will conduct the first full review this year, with findings presented to the Board in February and then formally integrating this review into the regular governance cycle of the System.
“The Board is committed to keeping Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System strong,” said Board Chairman Robert L. Albritton. “This is a thorough, repeatable, and accountable process — not a one-time exercise. We are working to ensure our degree programs meet the highest academic standards and are aligned with the needs of our students, our state, and the workforce of tomorrow.”
Under the initiative, every undergraduate course offering will be evaluated using consistent, evidence-based criteria, including:
- The established academic body of knowledge and disciplinary foundations supporting the program;
- Student demand and enrollment trends, including identification of low-enrollment programs across the System;
- Workforce and economic relevance, including alignment with Texas labor market needs and student career pathways; and
- Resource considerations and student outcomes, ensuring that programs provide clear educational value.
To support this System-level review, each university is providing detailed course and program data — including syllabi, course descriptions, and enrollment patterns — so decisions are made based on facts, not assumptions.
Results will guide decisions about maintaining, revising, or retiring courses to ensure clarity, value, and quality for students.
Beginning in mid-November, students will be able to confidentially report concerns regarding course content, descriptions, or syllabi directly to the System through the secure SECO online reporting portal. Reports will be reviewed promptly by System officials, with outcomes communicated back to campuses for resolution.
Regent Sam Torn, who supported the initiative, emphasized the System’s leadership role among public universities.
“We’re not just complying with expectations — we’re leading,” Torn said. “This is about setting a standard for how great universities evaluate themselves. Transparency and accountability aren’t obstacles to excellence; they are pathways to it.”
Chancellor Glenn Hegar noted the importance of upholding high academic expectations.
“The Regents have made clear that transparency and accountability must be at the center of everything we do,” Hegar said. “We’re following through on that direction and strengthening trust in the quality of a Texas A&M education.”
This marks the most extensive academic review ever undertaken by the System and the first to be formally tied to an ongoing annual and biennial review cycle, ensuring continuous improvement.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest and most impactful higher education systems in the country, with an annual budget of $7.3 billion. Its statewide network includes 12 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M–Fort Worth and Texas A&M–RELLIS. The System serves nearly 170,000 students and reaches millions more through service, research and outreach programs each year. With nearly $1.6 billion in annual research expenditures, the System fuels innovation, supports communities and drives Texas’ economy forward.
Media Contact:
Chris Bryan
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
cbryan@tamus.edu