Education Groups Propose Minimum Teaching Workload for Public University Professors

Tenure should be based on instruction rather than the publication of scholarly journal articles that no one outside of academia reads, policy expert says.

Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Mass., on May 28, 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A trio of education policy organizations is urging state legislatures and university systems to consider reforms that they say could restore the original purpose of colleges and universities and reduce costs.

Faculty members at public higher education institutions in non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs should be required to teach a minimum of three courses per semester and reprioritize student instruction over scholarly research, according to the Higher Education Restoration Act model policy released by the Goldwater Institute, Defending Education, and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal on Dec. 2.