Two of the Texas A&M University System’s professors who advised the Commission for Public Higher Education have academic records positioning them on the political left—despite the commission’s intention to counterbalance left-wing ideology in higher education.
The Commission for Public Higher Education is a new accrediting agency. Six university systems, including Texas A&M, jointly formed the agency in 2025 following a series of disputes between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the left-wing Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Among records obtained by Texas Scorecard from TAMUS were two lists of faculty or staff representatives assigned to advise CPHE regarding accreditation standards.
Among those named were Anne Egelston and Andrew Klein.
Egelston is an environmental science professor at Tarleton State University. Klein is a geology professor who previously served two terms on the now-defunct faculty senate at Texas A&M-College Station. Both have taken positions on key issues seemingly at odds with Texas’ conservative majority.
Egelston has criticized President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords. Her resume reveals that she is president of an environmental consulting firm that would help clients comply with the accords.
Klein has voiced “concern” over the Texas A&M Board of Regents’ decision to eliminate an LGBTQ minor and other “low-performing” programs last year. He has also defended “shared governance”—a system in which regents delegate authority to university presidents, who in turn share power with an unaccountable faculty senate. That framework was dismantled by state lawmakers in 2025, relegating faculty senates to advisory-only roles.
Klein and Egelston aren’t the first controversial representatives TAMUS has sent to CPHE. Dr. James Hallmark, vice chancellor for academic affairs, has previously defended DEI initiatives and is on the CPHE board.
Texas A&M, TAMUS, and Tarleton did not respond to comment requests regarding their selections.
In June, TAMUS Chancellor Glenn Hegar stated CPHE would offer a “more objective” accreditation option.
Accreditation involves external evaluations of colleges and universities to ensure compliance with standards on programs, faculty, and resources—a process increasingly criticized for enabling agencies to enforce progressive mandates, including DEI initiatives and radical LGBTQ activism.
On October 22, the agency announced its search for peer reviewers to evaluate its first cohort of participating universities as it seeks recognition from the U.S. Department of Education.
The Texas A&M University System is governed by a board of regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate.
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