The Texas A&M University System has chosen to fight a records request for communications regarding a new “citizenship initiative.”
Mark Welsh, president of Texas A&M-College Station, announced this program in February 2025. He claimed its objective is to produce “great citizens.” He picked retired Brig. Gen. Kim Field, his director of strategic initiatives, to lead the effort, and Professor Hart Blanton, head of the university’s Communication & Journalism department, to oversee a faculty task force to help develop the initiative.
The program aims to engage students in four core areas: character development, knowledge acquisition, skill-building, and civic involvement, Field said.
In July, Texas Scorecard sent a records request to Texas A&M-College Station for communications in Field’s and Blanton’s possession regarding the project’s development.
On August 28, the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), the parent body of the College Station campus, appealed this request to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Assistant General Counsel Claudene Marshall wrote that the system will submit to Paxton’s office the reasons why it believes state law exemptions “would allow all or part of the requested information to be withheld from disclosure.”
This latest development contradicts statements about the project.
Welsh described it as a “citizenship and service” endeavor. On August 28, Field outlined plans to create an “Aggie Lyceum” modeled after the Texas Lyceum—a group that promotes public affairs discussion—with the objective of providing “a place to have difficult conversations.”
This “Aggie Lyceum” has sparked controversy due to Welsh’s appointment of Blanton, a pro-DEI academic, to the project. Blanton “initiated” and oversaw the failed hiring of Kathleen McElroy, a DEI proponent, to run TAMU’s journalism program.
Texas A&M-College Station’s attempt to hire McElroy, a New York Times diversity advocate, as journalism program director in 2023 sparked backlash over her DEI focus, leading to a revised, non-tenured offer, which she rejected. The controversy, fueled by public outcry and a new Texas law banning DEI programs, resulted in a $1 million settlement for McElroy and the resignation of President M. Katherine Banks.
At the College Station campus’ April 14 faculty senate meeting, Blanton framed the “Aggie Lyceum” project as a “president-initiated, faculty-led process.” He said its aims are to help students “understand diverse perspectives” and to develop a proposal “to guide the educational mission of Texas A&M.”
During the August 28 TAMUS board meeting, the need to “make sure it’s informative, not persuasive” and that content is “politically neutral” was emphasized.
Texas Scorecard will continue to examine higher education in the state. If you or anyone you know has information regarding universities, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@protonmail.com.
