Follow-Up: Sen. Hester Defends Role in University of Arkansas Law School Decision
When the University of Arkansas abruptly withdrew its offer to Emily Suski to serve as dean of the School of Law, the university cited “feedback from key external stakeholders” as the reason. What officials did not say was who those stakeholders were until Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester stepped forward and made it clear. Instead of anonymous pressure in the shadows, Hester put his name on his position and defended it.
Senator Hester made plain he was “very clear” with contacts at the university that he disapproved of the hire once he learned of Suski’s public advocacy. This included her decision to sign an amicus brief supporting transgender students’ participation in sports, a position Hester and fellow Republicans say conflicts with Arkansas law.
Hester didn’t walk it back. He stood by his comments and laid out his reasoning.
“This Has Been the Practice”
One criticism of the university’s decision has been that it sets a precedent: if lawmakers can intervene here, what’s to stop future legislatures, Republican or Democrat, from pressuring public universities over hires they don’t like?
Hester rejects that framing.
“This has been the practice in Arkansas for more than a generation,” he told The Arkansas Reporter. “Now that a conservative should get a fair chance at these jobs, the left has changed their position to say political beliefs should no longer be part of the evaluation.”
In Hester’s view, this isn’t a new power grab. It’s transparency about a process that has existed for years.
Who Teaches the Future?
A deeper concern from critics is academic freedom: shouldn’t law schools train students to understand all sides of a legal debate, not only positions aligned with one political majority?
Hester is unwavering.
“It is imperative that students are shown all sides and expected to learn all points of view. It is also important the point of view from which these perspectives are taught.”
He added:
“I agree students should be taught that sex/gender is a topic debated in the judiciary but I want that perspective taught from someone who believes in objective truth just as the majority of Arkansans expect.”
For Hester, this isn’t about shutting down debate. It is about who leads the debate and the institution where the debate takes place.
Oversight, Not Gate-Keeping
Some have labeled the intervention ideological gate-keeping. Hester calls it accountability.
“Elected oversight is important because it is the way the constituents get heard. Anyone that says elected representatives should not have a say in tax money spending is saying the constituents should not have a voice.”
His point: when taxpayer dollars are funding an institution, those voters, through their elected officials, have a stake in how leadership decisions are made.
What’s Next
The university’s statement maintains it still holds Suski “in high regard,” even as it moves in a “different direction.” According to the university, Dean Cynthia Nance will “continue to serve as dean of the school through June 30, 2026, as planned,” and the university has “decided to conclude the current dean search” while beginning the process of identifying an interim dean to succeed Nance.
In an environment where political influence over public institutions is often exercised quietly, the disagreement itself is not unusual. The openness about it is.