Despite not offering any courses, majors, or degree programs for students, Texas A&M University’s Race and Ethnic Studies Institute has become a powerful hub for race‑ and ethnicity‑themed “research” steeped in grievance studies jargon.
The Race and Ethnic Studies Institute‘s run the gambit of the leftwing academic framework, including: “Racial/Ethnic/Ethnoracial Equity & Inequality,” “Africana Studies/African American Studies/Black Studies,” and “Latina/o/x/e Studies/Mexican American Studies/Chicano/o/x Studies.”
This institute describes itself as “dedicated to fostering, celebrating, and producing world-class cutting-edge research related to race and ethnic studies among the community of scholars at Texas A&M University and beyond.”
Founded in 1991, the institute functions as a research-focused organization dedicated to studying race, ethnicity, and their “intersections” with “societal factors” such as class, gender, and sexuality.
The mission of the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute (RESI) is to:
- Highlight Texas A&M University’s strengths and academic leadership in research relating to the study of race and ethnicity.
- Support research and scholarship in the humanities as well as social and behavioral sciences that contribute to the study of race and ethnicity.
- Provide intellectual leadership in advancing interdisciplinary partnerships that pursue research aimed at understanding the salience of race and ethnicity for local and national cultures, public policy, and public discourse, both nationally and globally.
- Cultivate an intellectual environment that fosters supportive mentoring relationships between graduate students and faculty interested in race and ethnic studies research.
According to its Fall 2025 director’s statement, “RESI has over 280 opt-in members on our mailing list, 72 faculty affiliates (31% up from last year), and 55 graduate student affiliates (83% up from last year).” The director, Darrel Wanzer-Serrano, listed his pronouns on his signature line at the end of that statement:
RESI’s faculty affiliates produce content that discusses identity politics, as does the advisory board and graduate student affiliates. RESI financially supports the content creation through a series of fellowships and grants.
In December 2024 the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, in partnership with the Environmental and Sustainability Initiative, received a grant worth nearly $5 million from the far-left Mellon Foundation.
Texas Scorecard has submitted an open records request for RESI’s budgets for the past five years.
RESI also formally supports “working groups” in “Asian American Diaspora Studies,” “Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI),” and “Environmental Justice.”
Texas A&M System regents recently approved tenure applications for several RESI faculty affiliates.
Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment on how the institute factors into the university’s mission.
RESI falls under the College of Arts and Sciences. Simon North is the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Texas A&M University is a component of the Texas A&M University System. The Texas A&M System is overseen by a Board of Regents that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Robert Albritton of Fort Worth is the current board chairman.
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