Following Texas A&M University’s botched hiring of a new journalism director and the resignation of the college’s interim dean, the “DEI hysteria” that drew the national spotlight to the university has officially claimed the school’s president.
Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks retired prematurely last Friday, writing in her resignation letter that “negative press has become a distraction.” She served at A&M for two years.
The backlash comes on multiple fronts, including from influential advocacy group Empower Texans and alumni network The Rudder Association. Defined by their conservative ideals, the two associations weren’t thrilled to learn about hopeful hire Kathleen McElroy’s advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the newsroom. This philosophy has become taboo in Texas since the governor banned such initiatives in higher education in June.
The Rudder Association emailed university leadership advising against McElroy’s hire, suggesting it avoid “the divisive ideology of identity politics,” according to The New York Times. One prominent newspaper with financial ties to Empower Texans framed McElroy as a “diversity advocate.”
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Faculty Senate grill Dr. Banks, university
However, Faculty Senate waged some of the harshest criticism against the university and Dr. Banks.
In a special meeting between the Senate, Dr. Banks and university officials, professors were concerned about the lack of transparency and responsibility in McElroy’s downgraded offer from a tenure position to a one-year, at-will contract, which she rejected. The meeting was held last Wednesday, two days before Dr. Bank’s retirement announcement.
The lack of communication led Dr. Rajesh Miranda, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, to consider the media’s interpretation that this contractual breakdown was racially motivated.
“I think the university and you, Dr. Banks, have not done a good job of communicating [to] the faculty what happened and what the pressures were,” Dr. Miranda said. “Frankly, from the outside, this feels like a lynching, and it’s hard to ignore the racial animus here.”
Dr. Banks said she was under the impression that McElroy’s tenure contract was still in effect and was unaware of any changes. Vice President for Faculty Affairs N.K. Anand explained that any contractual changes must have occurred at the department level and did not involve the president, which confounded professors.
“We’re being lied to on a lot of fronts,” said Larry Fickel, a senior lecturer in A&M’s department of construction science. “I don’t think we’re going to get to the bottom of all the lies, whether there’s a resolution or not.”
The day Dr. Banks resigned, Hart Blanton, department head of journalism and communication, said Dr. Banks had “injected herself into the process atypically and early on,” according to The New York Times.
Beyond the administration’s failed communication on the botched hiring, Materials Science and Engineering Professor Raymundo Arroyave posited that this has hampered A&M’s reputation and recruiting ability.
“We don’t exhibit a very good image of competence to the outside world. We are embarking in high-profile searches. These people who have been selected and interviewed for positions, how will they believe in the seriousness of Texas A&M when this fiasco is going on?” Arroyave said. “I don’t trust the administration in their ability to have the best.”
