Texas A&M University President Resigns Amid Controversy Over Journalism Program Appointment
Texas A&M University announced on Friday that its president, M. Katherine Banks, would be resigning “immediately” following a conflict over the appointment of Kathleen McElroy as the head of its journalism school. The university stated that negative attention surrounding McElroy’s appointment had become a distraction for the institution.
Banks submitted her letter of retirement on Thursday, expressing her regret over the handling of the situation and the university’s failure to secure McElroy’s appointment. The resignation comes after the recent departure of the dean overseeing the College of Arts and Sciences and a tense meeting between Banks and the faculty senate.
During the meeting, Banks apologized for the mishandling of McElroy’s appointment but claimed to have limited knowledge of the details surrounding the shifting offers made to her. However, Professor Hart Blanton, who leads the university’s communication and journalism department, disputed Banks’ account, stating that she had been involved in the process from the beginning and had misled the faculty senate.
Blanton also suggested that McElroy’s appointment faced increased scrutiny due to her race, as she is Black. He revealed that someone had altered a draft of a job offer letter, changing the offer from a multiyear term to a one-year contract, and sent it to McElroy without his knowledge. Blanton shared evidence of the altered letter with university lawyers and expressed satisfaction with Banks’ resignation.
The controversy surrounding McElroy’s appointment highlights the ongoing clash between higher education, diversity, and politics. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill this year that will ban offices and programs at publicly funded colleges aimed at promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Similarly, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that restricts state colleges from spending money on diversity initiatives and prohibits the teaching of “identity politics” in certain required courses.
This incident also follows the failed appointment of journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones at the University of North Carolina in 2021. Hannah-Jones, affiliated with The New York Times, was denied tenure after being appointed as the chair in race and investigative journalism. The decision was met with criticism, particularly from conservatives, due to Hannah-Jones’ involvement in The Times’ 1619 Project.
In the case of Texas A&M, McElroy claimed that she was initially promised a five-year contract but was ultimately offered a one-year agreement due to complaints from an alumni group and a conservative publication regarding her work promoting diversity. McElroy, a former New York Times editor and professor of journalism at the University of Texas, declined the one-year contract, leading to a crisis for the university.
The collision between academia and politics at Texas A&M, known for its strong traditions and focus on agriculture and military roots, has raised questions about the university’s decision-making process. The university’s alteration of the offer to McElroy remains a mystery, with conservative alumni group the Rudder Association expressing concerns about “the divisive ideology of identity politics.”
The faculty senate criticized the university’s handling of the situation, emphasizing that criticism of McElroy’s diversity efforts should not have influenced her hiring. Tracy Anne Hammond, a computer science professor and speaker of the faculty senate, stated that the university had lost the trust of both faculty and the wider world.
Following Banks’ resignation, the faculty senate passed a resolution to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate the handling of McElroy’s appointment. University system officials have expressed their commitment to addressing the situation.Texas A&M University President, M. Katherine Banks, has announced her retirement “immediately” following controversy surrounding the appointment of Kathleen McElroy as the head of the university’s journalism program. The conflict arose after McElroy faced pushback over her work promoting diversity.
Banks submitted her retirement letter on Thursday, stating that the negative attention surrounding McElroy’s appointment had become a distraction for the university. The resignation comes shortly after the resignation of the dean overseeing the College of Arts and Sciences and a tense meeting between Banks and the faculty senate.
During the meeting, Banks expressed her apologies for the mishandling of the situation and her embarrassment over it. However, Hart Blanton, a professor leading the university’s communication and journalism department, challenged Banks’ version of events. Blanton claimed that Banks had been involved in the process from the beginning and had misled the faculty senate about her role.
Blanton also suggested that the scrutiny over McElroy’s appointment was due to her being Black. He revealed that someone had altered a draft of a job offer letter, changing the offer from a multiyear term to a one-year agreement, and sent it to McElroy without his knowledge. Blanton shared materials related to the failed hiring with university lawyers and expressed satisfaction with Banks’ resignation.
The controversy surrounding McElroy’s appointment highlights the ongoing clash between higher education, diversity, and politics. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill banning offices and programs at publicly funded colleges that promote “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Similar legislation was signed in Florida, which largely banned state colleges from spending money on diversity initiatives and prohibited the teaching of “identity politics” in certain courses.
This incident also follows the failed appointment of journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones at the University of North Carolina in 2021. Hannah-Jones, affiliated with The New York Times, was denied tenure after being appointed as the chair in race and investigative journalism. The decision was met with criticism, particularly from conservatives, due to Hannah-Jones’ involvement in The Times’ 1619 Project.
In the case of Texas A&M, McElroy stated that she was promised a five-year contract but was ultimately offered a one-year agreement due to complaints from an alumni group and a conservative publication regarding her work promoting diversity. McElroy, a former New York Times editor and professor of journalism at the University of Texas, declined the one-year contract, leading to a crisis for the university.
The incident has raised questions about the university’s decision to alter the offer to McElroy. One conservative alumni group, the Rudder Association, expressed concerns about the ”divisive ideology of identity politics.” The university system is currently investigating the situation and aims to learn from the mistakes made.
Texas A&M University, known for its traditions and strong ties to Texas culture, is one of the largest universities in the country. The resignation of President Banks has further shaken the university’s reputation, with faculty members expressing their loss of trust in the institution.
Mark A. Welsh III, dean of the university’s government and public service school, will serve as interim president following Banks’ resignation.
The incident at Texas A&M University highlights the challenges faced by universities in navigating the intersection of academia, politics, and diversity. The fallout from McElroy’s appointment and subsequent resignation of President Banks underscores the need for transparent and equitable hiring processes in higher education institutions.
What concerns have been raised regarding the decision-making process at Texas A&M and the alteration of Kathleen McElroy’s contract, and how does this incident reflect larger tensions between higher education, diversity, and politics
Sity of North Carolina in 2021. Hannah-Jones, known for her involvement in The New York Times’ 1619 Project, was denied tenure after being appointed as the chair in race and investigative journalism. The decision sparked controversy, especially among conservatives.
In the case of Texas A&M, McElroy alleges that she was initially promised a five-year contract but was ultimately offered a one-year agreement due to complaints from an alumni group and a conservative publication regarding her efforts to promote diversity. McElroy, a former editor at The New York Times and a journalism professor at the University of Texas, declined the one-year contract, leading to further conflict.
The clash between academia and politics at Texas A&M, a university known for its traditions and focus on agriculture and military roots, has raised concerns about the university’s decision-making process. The alteration of McElroy’s offer remains a mystery, with the Rudder Association, a conservative alumni group, expressing concerns about what they perceive as “the divisive ideology of identity politics.”
The faculty senate has criticized the university’s handling of the situation, emphasizing that criticism of McElroy’s efforts to promote diversity should not have influenced her hiring. Tracy Anne Hammond, a computer science professor and speaker of the faculty senate, stated that the university has lost the trust of both faculty and the wider world.
Following Banks’ resignation, the faculty senate has passed a resolution to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate the handling of McElroy’s appointment. University system officials have expressed their commitment to addressing the situation.
Overall, the resignation of Texas A&M’s president amid controversy over the appointment of Kathleen McElroy as the head of the journalism program highlights the ongoing tension between higher education, diversity, and politics. The incident echoes similar clashes in other institutions and raises questions about the decision-making processes in universities.
The resignation of Texas A&M’s president in light of the controversy surrounding the journalism program leadership appointment highlights the importance of maintaining unbiased and ethically-driven academic institutions.