This backgrounder details the scope of the following critical forum concerning Texas House Bill 51 (TX HB 51) of the 81st Legislature, also referred to as the emerging research university bill. In its totality the journal issue considers the impact of TX HB 51 on the organizational behavior of comprehensive regional institutions in the state of Texas. The purpose of this backgrounder is to provide a theoretical framework to understand how each contributor adds to the narrative addressing the development, implementation, and impact of the legislation. Each author included in this critical forum offers a different theoretical lens as they examine the phenomenon of state-level, third party, governmental influence on public higher education, which I identify in this backgrounder as coercive isomorphism (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).