Sharp leaves after having transformed the institution, embedding it into state government, expanding its reach and boosting its academic and athletic reputation.

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Welsh served as interim president of the flagship university for a little over four months after the prior president resigned in the midst of a hiring scandal that drew national attention.

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 school’s morale.

A&M System Chancellor John Sharp will recommend Welsh, a retired Air Force general, as the sole finalist for the job at a Board of Regents meeting later this week. Welsh has held the position in the interim since July.

University leaders say the new Hill Institute will promote values like family life, the free and open exercise of faith, and rugged individualism.

The savvy ex-lawmaker has expanded the Texas A&M University System and mollified state leaders. Some faculty, alumni and students say that accommodation has come at a cost.

The law requires publicly-funded universities and colleges to close their diversity, equity and inclusion offices, creating hiring challenges.

Some members of the university system’s 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.

In his first comments as interim president, Mark A. Welsh IIII cast recent concerns over political interference in Texas A&M’s employment decisions as “communication breakdowns.”

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham alleged Wednesday that opioids expert Joy Alonzo told students in a guest lecture that “Your Lt. Governor says those kids deserve to die.” Alonzo denied the claims.

The board also gave university lawyers the green light to negotiate a possible settlement with Kathleen McElroy after the university bungled the hiring of the journalism professor.

The system’s 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.

The university has been rattled by two cases in which university officials were apparently rushed into making faculty employment decisions due to political pressure.

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.

“The recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,” Banks wrote in her resignation letter. “The negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.”

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 president’s decision making since she took the helm nearly two years ago.

The Texas A&M, Texas State and University of Houston systems are the latest to make changes after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop considering diversity in their hiring practices.

Simmons was expected to step down June 1. The abrupt resignation appears to be over a difference with Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp over hiring during the rest of Simmons’ term as president.

The board agreed to spend $85 million on a law and education building and another $85 million on a research and innovation center.

Performance reviews of state government are an exercise in separating the operation of government — how things work — from the direction of government — what, in broader terms, government should do. The nuts and bolts on one hand, the vision thing on the other.

Simmons will teach, help maintain new fundraising partnerships and launch a college and university leadership training academy.

So far, about 14 students could receive the aid, but the number might increase as more candidates are identified, the university system said.

Simmons also served as president of Smith College in Massachusetts and Brown University, where she was the first Black woman to preside over an Ivy League school.

The chancellor instructed universities and agencies in the system to dissolve all agreements, especially those related to academics, research and intellectual property.

Sharp talked about how higher ed survives the pandemic, the obstacles to running a world-class public university and the future of college football.

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 university’s 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.