Legislation that would end the practice of giving professors tenure, which makes it much harder to fire those individuals outside of egregious wrongdoing, has narrowly advanced from a state Senate committee.

Under Senate Bill 1782, by state Sen. Randy Grellner, the board of trustees for Oklahoma colleges would be prohibited from providing tenure to any faculty hired on or after Jan. 1, 2027, and faculty contracts would be limited to a five-year maximum before coming up for renewal.

“No taxpayer-funded job should be exempt from honest evaluation and consequences,” said Grellner, R-Cushing. “Oklahomans like myself find it hard to understand why a small percentage of professors can be paid for decades and potentially not provide any value.”

Grellner noted Florida, Texas, and Arkansas have pursued similar reforms, and that similar legislation has been filed in states across the nation.

He said between 60 percent and 70 percent of faculty at Oklahoma colleges and universities have tenure today, although exact numbers are difficult to obtain.

Grellner noted that many tenured professors appear to do little educating at colleges.

“When I was going to college … the tenured professor never came in the classroom,” Grellner said. “It was assistants, graduate assistants. And my kids went through the same thing.”

Opponents said the legislation would deter many professors from applying for positions at state universities.

State Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, suggested the legislation would prompt lawsuits from college faculty “based on separation of powers between the Legislature and constitutionally created regents.”

State Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the current market for professors effectively includes tenure as part of the salary package.

“This is going to increase salaries because if you can’t offer tenure, then you have to offer more money,” Rader said.

SB 1782 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 6-4 vote. It now proceeds to the full Senate.

In a February 2025 survey of 298 college presidents, Inside Higher Ed found that “just 37 percent of presidents agree that the pros of faculty tenure outweigh the cons.” Only 14 percent said they “strongly agree” that the pros of tenure outweigh the negatives.