The Tennessee General Assembly has proposed a bill that would end the ability for the University of Tennessee to grant any faculty members tenure status on or after July 1, 2026. This would not affect currently tenured faculty. The bill, Senate Bill 1838, was filed for introduction on Jan. 21, 2026.
The bill has been passed on first and second consideration in the Tennessee Senate, on Jan. 22 and Feb. 2 respectively.
Sens. Joseph Hensley and Rusty Crowe, both Republicans, are the bill’s sponsors.
If passed, the legislature would amend Tennessee Code Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, all language relative to tenure.
The Faculty Senate is keeping a close eye on the situation.
“I want to assure you that the Faculty Senate monitors developments here very carefully and is doing whatever we can to support VP Whitworth and her team,” an email from the Senate leadership team said. “I want to add that all interactions we have had with our campus administrative leaders have shown nothing but unequivocal support for the value of tenure for a thriving university such as ours.”
It is now going to be sent to the Education Committee where they will conduct a detailed review and potential changes or amendments of the proposed legislature.
“Until then, we are quite hopeful this bill will fall by the wayside, as have similar efforts in the past, and we will be vigilant in doing whatever we can towards that end,” the email said.
More information will be provided as the situation develops.
Deborah Drake • Feb 12, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Sure am glad I was a student in the 1970s, a time when independent and critical thinking skills were important. Should these bills pass, not only will it affect recruiting of faculty, it will put free speech in jeopardy and greatly diminish the quality of education at the college level.