‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors consider leaving US south

The Guardian ^ | Tue 23 Sep 2025 | Olivia Empson

[MinorityRepublican]

Many professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.

Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023.

Heather Houser worked as a professor in the English department, teaching American literature and environmental humanities, at the University of Texas at Austin for 14 years. Like the growing number of professors in the stronghold Republican state, she found the increasing government oversight on higher education alarming.

Houser left Texas earlier this year for a new teaching position at The University of Antwerp in Belgium.

“I know a lot of people who’ve been on the job market for several years and they’d be gone by now if not for the factors that make it hard to leave,” Houser said. “It comes with sacrifices, and I still feel so much for my students and colleagues back in Texas. It’s hard to know what they’re enduring.”

The survey received responses from approximately 4,000 faculty members across the south and included other states, such as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, in its findings. About 25% of the professors in Texas who responded said they have applied for teaching roles in other states in the last two years, with another 25% saying they intend to start a search.

---

TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Education; Local News; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: academia; domesticenemies; dontletthedoorknob; education; fakenews; goodriddance; grauniad; homosexualagenda; oliviaempson; professors; wellbye

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Hey, Professor, don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you on the way out.

I hear the University of Kabul is hiring.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Can someone link to a happy trumpet tune to announce this post?

[silverleaf]

“ environmental humanities”?

[EastTexasTraveler]

One in four is a good start.

[NonValueAdded]

Don’t let the screen door hit ya ...

[Chewbarkah]

There are some worthless fields in academe, but this one takes the prize. So sterile, they don’t even pretend to produce anything.

[hal ogen]

The only problem I see is that the aren’t leaving the USA forever.

[dljordan]

“teaching American literature and environmental humanities”

Environmental humanities?

[Georgia Girl 2]

Good! GTFO!

[fwdude]

It’s about time.

[FrozenAssets]

And then the environmental humanities major said, “Do you want fries with that?”

[packrat35]

Snowflakes can’t take the heat...

[EVO X]

Tenured professors aren’t going to just up and leave unless they get a pay package they can’t refuse. My guess is people wanting to leave are adjunct and associate professors with little time on the job..

[fwdude]

“The classes I taught that were most likely to eventually feel the sting of SB17 and the legislation sure to follow were Gay Rights and the Constitution and Jurisprudence,” Watson said. “You cannot teach a robust class on jurisprudence without addressing critical legal studies, critical race theory and critical gender theory. You just can’t.”

Then you can't. Simple.