Time To Grade The Professor
Have you ever had a job? I bet you have.
Have you ever had a job where your work performance is measured just twice per decade? I bet you have not.
Were you a professor at U.T. Austin and the Chief Historian of the Texas State Historical Association, that would be your lot in life. You’d only get a work report card every five years, and maybe not even then if nobody’s looking. And you’d be paid about $180k a year for your trouble.
Nice work if you can get it.
You may recall the name Dr. Walter Buenger from our 2021 series on him, but if you’re new around here, here’s some of his highlight reel from his tenure as Chief Historian:
Told the Washington Post that white Texans only began to remember the Alamo as a form of pushback against Mexican immigration in the 20th century.
Advocated for removing the word “heroic” as a descriptor for the Alamo defenders, for seventh grade history curriculum standards.
Told Texas Monthly that “traditional” Texas history undergirds white supremacy.
Told USA Today that the Alamo is used to “commemorate whiteness” and is a “symbol of Anglo-Saxon preeminence” and a “symbol of what it meant to be white.’
Reviewed the (unscholarly) book, Forget the Alamo, in the pages of the scholarly journal, Southwestern Historical Quarterly. It was quite a favorable review.
Because of his position, he became the go-to guy when a reporter wanted a comment about how any Texas history thing was the result of white supremacy. And he delivered. He’s been relatively quiet since our series came out two years ago.
So why bring him up again?
Because it’s time for Walter Buenger’s report card. Well past time, actually. His initial five-year contract with the University of Texas ended on September 1, 2022. According to his employment contract this is what should have happened back in September:
At the end of your five-year term as Chief Historian, the TSHA will evaluate your role as Chief Historian in terms of leadership, scholarship, and productivity to determine the desire of all parties in determining whether or not to extend your role for another term.
Leadership, scholarship, productivity. Okay.
I don’t work at the TSHA, so I can’t offer informed commentary on his leadership. I can only draw inferences from the comments he made during the time he was actively speaking to the press in his official capacity as Chief Historian. I can compare how he has presented himself to the public to the manner in which his predecessor, Dr. Mike Campbell, performed in the same role. I’ve not heard of Dr. Buenger making public presentations or engaging in any outreach.
When we consider his “productivity” sum, we must factor into the equation the fact that he doesn’t have a teaching load at the University of Texas. A search of Handbook of Texas articles contributed by Dr. Buenger between 2017-23 doesn’t return much. There is only one. One co-edited book. One article in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.
And a 750-word review of Forget the Alamo that begins with the following:
“Forget the Alamo? How many times over the last forty years or so have serious historians, exasperated by the debilitating hyper-focus on the Texas Revolution and the clap-trap that went with it, uttered that plaintive cry?”
It’s tough to make a case about his scholarship because there isn’t much to assess. (See above: “productivity.”)
Should the Chief Historian of our oldest learned institution express such open disdain for the era of Texas history that people all over the world are most interested in?
Should the role of Chief Historian be filled by someone clearly debilitated by a hyper-focus on finding “white supremacy” in every nook and cranny?
Should a state institution of higher learning be remunerating this person $180k per year for being an activist cloaked in professional historian credentials?
The time for Dr. Buenger’s report card is here.
It is the responsibility of TSHA to assess him, per the terms of his contract, and decide if he should continue on in this job. Help us make the current Executive Director, Mr. J. P. Bryan, Jr., aware of this overdue report card and ask that he initiate the evaluation of Dr. Buenger’s job performance.
If we ask, it can happen. My impression is that Mr. Bryan, a lifelong Texas history preservationist, cares a great deal for the integrity of the TSHA and maintaining balance to the old learned organization.
We don’t know until we ask and there’s strength in numbers.
We have made it easy for our voices to be heard on this urgent matter. We created a petition where you may add your name and any comments you’d like to like Mr. Bryan to see. Let’s keep it polite and professional.
It will take but a minute of your time and a minute for Texas history is a minute well spent.
