The Texas A&M Board of Regents is reportedly set to name pro-DEI Obama-appointee Mark Welsh as the sole finalist for the position of university President.
Welsh has served as the interim president of the university since former President Kathy Banks resigned in late July following a hiring debacle.
Banks announced her immediate resignation following public outcry against A&M’s attempted hiring of DEI proponent Kathleen McElroy as the university’s new journalism director.
Welsh previously served as the dean of TAMU’s Bush School of Government and Public Service from 2016 until he was appointed as interim president. Prior to 2016, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general and Obama appointee to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He has expressed pro-DEI viewpoints on multiple occasions, most recently to the A&M Faculty Senate in August.
“I think we’ve weaponized the acronym DEI,” Welsh told the A&M Faculty Senate.
“I think Dr. McElroy would have been a great hire for the journalism department,” he added.
Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp told the Faculty Senate late last month that he and the board of regents would “greatly value your assessment and opinions” of Welsh for permanent president of TAMU.
Now, Faculty Senate Speaker Tracy Hammond told the Faculty Senate on Monday that Sharp is expected to name Welsh as the sole finalist for the presidency at a special meeting later this week.
If the board [of regents] in a special meeting later this week accepts the Chancellor’s recommendation, it will kick off a 21-day waiting period before the decision is finalized. During that time the chair and the board of regents and the chancellor are inviting feedback from the faculty and other stakeholders.
The required 21-day waiting period between the time a sole finalist is selected and officially appointed is the opportunity for citizens to comment as well.
Texas A&M is overseen by a board of regents, who are appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and confirmed by the Texas Senate.
The Board of Regents is composed of Texas A&M alum, including Chairman Bill Mahomes, Vice Chairman Robert L. Albritton, David Baggett, John Bellinger, James R. “Randy” Brooks, Jay Graham, Michael A. “Mike” Hernandez III, Michael J. Plank, Sam Torn, and Student Regent Elizabeth “Annie” Valicek.
The Board of Regents did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication.
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