University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: University Suspends Professor for More Than a Year

On May 15, 2025, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley suspended Professor Clyde Barrow for unspecified policy violations and provided minimal explanation despite repeated requests. FIRE wrote the university on July 11, 2025, informing UTRGV Barrow was owed basic due process and that any discipline based upon his criticisms of university leadership would violate the First Amendment and must be rescinded. We also secured counsel for Barrow through FIRE’s Faculty Legal Defense Fund. The university responded on July 28, 2025, declining to substantively engage with our argument and insisting that the university was acting consistently with its policies. 

Barrow then received an investigative report in September 2025 detailing charges based on his speech. Barrow’s attorney continued attempting to engage with the university to resolve the investigation to no avail. FIRE reiterated our free speech and due process concerns to the university on April 13, 2026.