As a generalized principle, it works like this: The left gets a set of academics installed who then become "the experts in the field." Those "experts" then publish papers reflecting the direction they wish to push laws and regulations. Then somebody, detailing the supposedly remedial measures usually involving a massive bureaucracy. They put up someone horribly injured by the state of affairs who sues the government, usually in Federal court. The complicit bureaucrats then show up arm-in-arm with the plaintiff lawyers with a consent decree with the academics assured to stay in clover with consulting jobs. It doesn't matter if it's "gay rights" or "the environment," it works the same way. Of course, these rulings and the regulations pursuant to them then become "law" that has never once seen the inside of a capitol building.
So, in this case one must go to packing the regents to fix this mess. Given tenure, the best way to accomplish the layoff is to ax whole programs, particularly when there is no obvious tangible benefit.