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President of Texas A&M University

The president of Texas A&M University is the chief officer of the academic administration of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Forty-one people—thirty-nine men and two women—have held this office, including those who were in the position when it was named Chairman of the Faculty between 1883-1890, and those who held the position in an acting or interim capacity.

President of Texas A&M University
since July 21, 2023 (2023-07-21)
AppointerTexas A&M University System Board of Regents
Inaugural holderThomas Sanford Gathright
FormationOctober 4, 1876 (1876-10-04)
Salary$3,000 (1876)[1]
$1,100,000 (2023)[2]
WebsiteOffice of the President

As of December 12, 2023, Mark A. Welsh III is the 27th president of Texas A&M University.[3] Welsh was serving as the dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service before he was appointed as acting president by Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp on July 21,[4] following the resignation of M. Katherine Banks.[5] Welsh became interim president on July 30.[6] Later, on November 17, 2023, Welsh was named the sole finalist for the position of President of Texas A&M University, after a unanimous vote by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.[7]

Early history

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Main article: History of Texas A&M University § Early years

On October 4, 1876, on the recommendation of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis after he had declined the position, Thomas Sanford Gathright became the first president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (the future Texas A&M University). At the inauguration of the college, Gathright stated to those assembled

To the full success of the college, I can promise the best efforts of my colleagues in the faculty, as I pledge my own. They may not be the proper men to work out success, and may be called to give place to others. I may not be suited to my place, and may retire; still this great work, in which all the people of this good state are interested, must go on and must succeed.[8]

Following an investigation into the college’s adherence to the Morrill Act of 1862, he was fired on November 21, 1879, by the Board of Directors. As a land-grant college under the Morrill Act, the curriculum at A&M College was meant to focus on agricultural and mechanical studies, and to teach military tactics. Gathright had personally favored the classical studies and disliked the military procedures. He also did not get along with some members of the faculty.[9] Gathright's administration also faced the burden of organizing the college, an undefined curriculum, a shortage of student housing, and enrollment difficulties.[10]

Presidents

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The list of Texas A&M University presidents includes the previous presidents, and Chairmen of the Faculty of the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas. It also includes those that served in an acting or interim capacity.

Portrait President Title Start of term End of term
Thomas Sanford Gathright President July 15, 1876 November 21, 1879
  John Garland James President November 22, 1879 April 1, 1883
James Reid Cole Acting President April 1, 1883 June 26, 1883
President June 26, 1883 July 19, 1883
Hardaway Hunt Dinwiddie Chairman of the Faculty July 23, 1883 December 11, 1887
Louis Lowry McInnis Chairman of the Faculty January 24, 1888 July 1, 1890
William Stuart Lorraine Bringhurst Acting President July 1, 1890 January 20, 1891
  Lawrence Sullivan Ross President January 20, 1891 January 3, 1898
Roger Haddock Whitlock Acting President January 3, 1898 July 1, 1898
  Lafayette Lumpkin Foster President July 1, 1898 December 2, 1901
Roger Haddock Whitlock Acting President December 10, 1901 July 1, 1902
  David Franklin Houston President July 1, 1902 September 1, 1905
Henry Hill Harrington President September 8, 1905 August 7, 1908
Robert Teague Milner President September 1, 1908 October 1, 1913
Charles Puryear Acting President September 1, 1913 August 24, 1914
William Bennett Bizzell President August 25, 1914 September 1, 1925
Thomas Otto Walton President September 3, 1925 August 7, 1943
Frank Cleveland Bolton Acting President August 9, 1943 May 27, 1944
Gibb Gilchrist President May 27, 1944 September 1, 1948
Frank Cleveland Bolton President September 1, 1948 June 3, 1950
Marion Thomas Harrington Acting President June 3, 1950 September 1, 1953
David Hitchens Morgan President September 1, 1953 December 21, 1956
David Willard Williams Acting President December 22, 1956 September 1, 1957
Marion Thomas Harrington President September 1, 1957 July 1, 1959
  James Earl Rudder President July 1, 1959 March 23, 1970
  Alvin Roubal Luedecke Acting President March 30, 1970 November 1, 1970
Jack Kenny Williams President November 1, 1970 July 31, 1977
Jarvis Ernest Miller President August 1, 1977 July 10, 1980
Charles Harold Samson Jr. Acting President July 10, 1980 August 31, 1981
Frank Everson Vandiver President September 1, 1981 August 31, 1988
William Hodges Mobley President September 1, 1988 August 31, 1993
E. Dean Gage Acting President September 1, 1993 June 1, 1994
  Ray M. Bowen President July 1, 1994 July 31, 2002
  Robert M. Gates President August 1, 2002 December 18, 2006
Ed J. Davis Interim President December 18, 2006 January 3, 2008
  Elsa A. Murano President January 3, 2008 June 15, 2009
  R. Bowen Loftin Interim President June 15, 2009 February 12, 2010
President February 12, 2010 January 13, 2014
Mark A. Hussey Interim President January 14, 2014 April 30, 2015
  Michael K. Young President May 1, 2015 December 31, 2020
John L. Junkins Interim President January 1, 2021 May 31, 2021
M. Katherine Banks President June 1, 2021 July 20, 2023
  Mark A. Welsh III Acting President July 21, 2023 July 30, 2023
Interim President July 30, 2023 December 12, 2023
President December 12, 2023 present

References

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  1. ^ "Wednesday, August 16, 1876". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. August 16, 1876. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Samantha, Ketterer (December 12, 2023). "Gen. Mark A. Welsh III selected as 27th Texas A&M University president". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 17, 2024. (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Former Air Force Chief Of Staff Mark A. Welsh III Named 27th President Of Texas A&M". Texas A&M Today. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Texas A&M University System [@tamusystem] (July 21, 2023). "Chancellor Sharp has named Dean Mark A. Welsh III acting President of @TAMU after President M. Katherine Banks submitted a letter late Thursday announcing she would retire immediately: http://tx.ag/TAMU072123" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ McGee, Kate (July 21, 2023). "Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  6. ^ "Regents Name Mark A. Welsh III as Interim President of Texas A&M University". Texas A&M Today. July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Mark Welsh Named Sole Finalist For Texas A&M University President". Texas A&M Today. November 17, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Reprints from the Texas Aggie". Cushing Memorial Library and Archives. Archived from the original on September 19, 2006. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Chapman, David L. "Thomas S. Gathright: Dedicated to Success, Doomed to Failure". Cushing Memorial Library and Archives. Archived from the original on September 19, 2006. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  10. ^ "Howdy, Mr. President". Texas A&M Foundation. Spring 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
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