Texas A&M Board of Regents names Mark Welsh III sole finalist for president
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named the former dean and four-star general as the sole finalist for president Friday. Many believe Welsh is the right person to move the university forward after a pair of controversies bruised the schoolโs morale.
Texas A&M leadersโ text messages show desire to counteract perceived liberal agenda in higher education
Some members of the university systemโs board of regents said they wanted to promote conservative causes at the flagship campus and resisted efforts to hire journalism professor Kathleen O. McElroy, who they believed would work counter to those goals.
Suspended Texas A&M professor denies saying Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick believes overdose victims โdeserve to dieโ
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham alleged Wednesday that opioids expert Joy Alonzo told students in a guest lecture that โYour Lt. Governor says those kids deserve to die.โ Alonzo denied the claims.
Texas A&M regents could offer a settlement to the journalism professor at center of hiring controversy
The systemโs board also plans to formally appoint an interim president after Katherine Banks resigned last week following news that the school changed its job offer to Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor, after outcries from conservative groups.
Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lecture
The professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor
โThe recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,โ Banks wrote in her resignation letter. โThe negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.โ
Research leaders at Texas A&M University raise โserious concernsโ with President Kathy Banksโ leadership
A poll conducted by the Council of Principal Investigators, an elected group of faculty who help oversee research activity at the school, found respondents distrust the presidentโs decision making since she took the helm nearly two years ago.
Analysis: Every so often, Texas government needs a reboot
Performance reviews of state government are an exercise in separating the operation of government โ how things work โ from the direction of government โ what, in broader terms, government should do. The nuts and bolts on one hand, the vision thing on the other.
UT, Texas A&M urge students to get tested for COVID-19 before Thanksgiving
Students who attend the University of Texas and Texas A&M University are being urged to take a COVID-19 test before they leave campus and head home for the Thanksgiving holiday break. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said getting tested can help families and communities feel safe and can avoid any unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus. In addition to getting tested, UT officials are also asking students to self-quarantine seven days prior to traveling and seven days once they have reached their destination, according to a report on KXAN.com. UT officials are also strongly recommending campus community members get tested through the universityโs Proactive Community Testing program or through other COVID-19 testing resources in Austin. Both Texas A&M and UT will end in-person classes for the fall semester ahead of the Thanksgiving break with only final exams scheduled in December.
Texas A&M President Michael Young says he will retire May 31 to return to faculty
Michael K. Young has been president at Texas A&M University since 2015. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas TribuneTexas A&M University President Michael Young will retire at the end of the academic school year, he said in a letter obtained by The Texas Tribune. Young has expressed a desire to retire and return to teaching and research as a tenured faculty member of the Bush School, Sharp wrote in another letter obtained by the Tribune. The creation of the Institute not only achieves President Youngs desires, it also will allow for an orderly transition from President Young to his eventual successor, Sharp wrote. Our hope is to have the new President chosen and in office by June 1, 2021, Sharp wrote at the time. Disclosure: Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Texas A&M can't remove Sul Ross statue without the Legislature's approval, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says
The Lawrence Sullivan Sul Ross statue on the campus of Texas A&M University. Shelby Knowles for The Texas TribuneOnly the Texas Legislature has the authority to permanently remove the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue at Texas A&M University, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion released Friday. Those task forces will ultimately make a recommendation on how best to address concerns about Sul Ross and other monuments, Young said. A&M System Chancellor John Sharp previously opposed removing the statue, then later said that he supported the task forces' review. "While my personal opinion has not changed about the importance of Lawrence Sullivan Ross to Texas A&M, we Aggies must stand united against racism and love one another," Sharp's statement said.
Texas A&M System to offer free COVID-19 testing to students, faculty and staff
COLLEGE STATION, Texas The Texas A&M University System has announced that it will offer free COVID-19 testing to its students, faculty and staff. Approximately 15,000 test kits will be sent to system campuses each month, which includes Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Ensuring the health and safety of our students is our top priority, said John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Testing could start later this week, and is the result of a partnership with Curative Inc., a national testing company based in California. The school says the tests will be free but those who have insurance are encouraged to use their primary care physician so that their test can be paid for by insurance.
Texas A&M scientists call for COVID-19 investigation
COLLEGE STATION, TX Two scientists at Texas A&M University have called for a bipartisan inquiry into the countrys handling of the initial COVID-19 outbreak response. As of June 23, Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 114,881 total cases as the U.S. death toll surpasses 120,000 people. Particularly concerning, Hoetz said, in the countrys response was that transmission was allowed to go on for weeks without a major public health response. What hurt Wuhan was what hurt New York City, which is the virus transmission went on for six weeks before there was any public health intervention, Hotez said in a statement. Hoetz said, in an interview with Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp, that he is worried that anti-science-nationalism is creating global instability.
Texas A&M announces task force to weigh removing statue of Sul Ross, Confederate general and former governor
The Lawrence Sullivan Sul Ross statue on the campus of Texas A&M University. Shelby Knowles for The Texas TribuneAn ongoing struggle between Texas A&M students and university officials over a Confederate statue on campus has reached new heights in recent weeks. The statue commemorates Lawrence Sullivan Ross, a Confederate general and former Texas governor that students at Texas A&Ms College Station flagship have zeroed in on as the campus' most flagrant reminder of systemic racism. "Earlier today I met with Chancellor John Sharp to discuss continued racism on the Texas A&M campus," Young wrote in a letter. Young said he would ask this group to make a recommendation for Ross' statue in the near future.
Texas A&M System approves $100 million scholarship fund to address "diversity issues"
The Academic Building on the Texas A&M University campus on March 26, 2018. Sharp also emphasized the need for A&M's student population to reflect that of the state. Currently, white students comprise more than half of the student population at A&M's College Station campus, while black students make up less than 4%, according to 2019 data. Hispanic and Asian students students make up 21% and 8% of the student population, respectively. Disclosure: The Texas A&M University System has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.