Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III will step down on Friday after more than a week of turmoil sparked by a viral video of a student confronting a professor over gender content in a children’s literature course, the Texas A&M University System announced Thursday.
The video, along with an audio recording of Welsh initially refusing to fire Professor Melissa McCoul, first circulated online on Sept. 8 after state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, shared it on the social media platform X.
Welsh fired McCoul a day later, but the move did not satisfy Harrison, or Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who did not think Welsh handled the situation properly.
“His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable,” Patrick posted on X last week. “Most parents, students, and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history. If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen.”
In a statement on Thursday, Chancellor Glenn Hegar praised Welsh but seemed to agree a change was needed.
“President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with selfless dedication. We are grateful for his service and contributions,” Hegar said. “At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead.”
Hegar later added that Welsh submitted his resignation to him on Thursday. Welsh was not immediately available for comment.
Welsh’s departure comes amid a broader campaign by Republican leaders to tighten control of curricula, hiring and speech at the state’s public universities.
In January, Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to fire Welsh after the university’s business school invited advanced PhD students and faculty to a conference designed to recruit Black, Hispanic and Indigenous graduate students. After the threat, Welsh said Texas A&M would pull out of the conference completely.
Abbott cannot fire university presidents, but he appoints the members of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, who do have that authority.
Harrison on Thursday took credit for Welsh’s departure in an interview with The Texas Tribune, claiming that his continued posting on social media platform X “unequivocally” contributed to Welsh’s resignation. Harrison said he was encouraged by others to use traditional channels to complain about Welsh’s performance, but that his unprecedented methods worked more effectively and proved he is the “most effective lawmaker in the Texas Legislature.”
“I can guarantee you, if I had done what every one of my critics was trying to get me to do, Welsh would still be the president today, McCoul would still be a professor and the dean and the department head would still have their administrative duties,” Harrison said. “Instead, in a week, you’ve seen everything I’ve caused in one week by doing it the way that I firmly believe Texans want.”
Board Chair Robert Albritton stressed to reporters that regents had not listened to outside political figures and media pressure.
“I will say one wonderful thing about the board is that we don’t listen to that,” Albritton said.
He also argued that McCoul’s class “broke the law,” though he did not specify which law.
On Wednesday, top faculty members and the university’s student government sent letters to Hegar and the Board of Regents supporting Welsh.
One letter was signed by Texas A&M’s Executive Committee of the University Distinguished Professors, which is composed of 12 distinguished professors, the highest achievement a faculty member can earn at the university.
“All members of this Committee write this letter collectively to strongly urge you to retain President Mark Welsh in the wake of recent events,” the letter reads.
The other letter, signed by dozens of current and former student leaders, said Welsh carries “a steadfast love and stewardship for our University, one that inspires our faith and confidence in his leadership.” The student leaders added that they “stand united in support of his leadership.”
Leonard Bright, a Texas A&M University professor and vice president for the American Association of University Professors’ Texas Conference East Region, said Welsh faced scrutiny from both sides of the issue by firing McCoul and removing the dean rather than standing against outside pressure.
“He would have had so much respect in academic community, and that would have sent, potentially, a message down throughout the nation that we have to stand up for these values,” Bright said. “But his sort of flip-flopping on that really damaged that, and I personally hope that someone in the system [has] more of the courage to politely and respectively tell our legislative leaders that what you’re asking for we cannot do.”
Welsh, a retired four-star general, former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force and the former dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, became president in 2023. Former President M. Katherine Banks had resigned following the botched hiring of journalism professor Kathleen McElroy, whose offer of employment was watered down after regents became concerned about her work on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Welsh initially stepped in as interim president while the university launched a national search for Banks’ replacement. Four months later, then-Chancellor John Sharp recommended Welsh be named as permanent president, forgoing the national search.
“The Board is confident in General Welsh’s abilities to take Texas A&M to even greater heights,” Regent Bill Mahomes, who was then serving as board chair, said in a press release at the time. “Everything points to him being the perfect person for this pivotal moment in the history of our beloved flagship.”
Welsh was welcomed by many faculty and students, who said he provided a much-needed steady hand during times of uncertainty. They lauded him for seeking out their input, clearly explaining his decision-making and being transparent about university operations.
“General Welsh has almost uniform positive evaluations from those who know him, who worked with him, who agree with him, who disagree with him,” medical professor Mark Sicilio said at the time.
Bright said Welsh’s departure could cause a chilling effect at other universities who may encounter similar scrutiny in the future, and should be a wake up call for other state institutions to consider what their values are.
“If you start giving into this environment, there is no bottom to this,” Bright said. “They’re never going to stop asking for you to give more.”
Albritton said regents will appoint an interim president and initiate a national search for a permanent president “in the coming days.”
We are “united in ensuring that this transition strengthens the university’s future and keeps Texas A&M true to its mission and values,” Albritton said in a statement.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
Disclosure: Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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