Texas A&M University System officials selected an insider on Monday to lead the flagship College Station campus, after a tumultuous year that put the 81,000-student school at the center of a national debate on academic freedom.
The Board of Regents picked Susan Ballabina, a top administrator in the A&M system, as the sole finalist for the university presidency. She currently serves as executive vice chancellor in the Texas A&M system, the sprawling entity that includes 12 universities and eight state agencies.
“She brings unparalleled knowledge of Texas A&M, a collaborative leadership style and the experience and know-how to guide the university with vision and purpose,” Robert L. Albritton, the board’s chair, said in a statement.
Dr. Ballabina’s selection comes seven months after the resignation of Mark Welsh, a four-star U.S. Air Force general who had led the school for two years.
He resigned shortly after the ouster of Melissa McCoul, an instructor who had discussed gender identity during a lesson in a children’s literature course.
Dr. McCoul had displayed a gender unicorn, which is used to explain the differences between gender expression and gender identity. A student filmed herself arguing with the instructor over whether the course broke the law because it recognized more than two genders, citing a Trump administration executive order.
The video went viral and Republican politicians, including the governor, demanded the university fire the instructor, accusing her of “blatantly indoctrinating students in gender ideology.”
Texas has been at the forefront of debates over higher education. Republicans have tried to limit discussions of race and gender. They have said they are trying to bring more political balance to university cultures and curriculums. Their critics have said they are infringing on the rights of professors and students and quashing free expression.
A state bill passed last year enshrined in Texas law that there are effectively only two genders. Another bill enacted last year, Senate Bill 37, gutted faculty control of universities, created restrictions on what can be taught and gave school governing boards the power to approve academic leaders, including deans.
University governing boards also turned to Republican politicians to lead higher-education institutions. The chancellor of the Texas Tech system, for example, is Brandon Creighton, a former state senator who wrote Senate Bill 37. The interim Texas A&M president is Tommy Williams, a former state lawmaker.
Dr. Ballabina had served on a search committee for the next president. Officials said she had recused herself from the role before applying for the position.
Some faculty leaders expressed cautious relief at the selection of Dr. Ballabina. Leonard Bright, the president of the university’s American Association of University Professors chapter, said he would have preferred an academic as the new president, given the widespread concerns that faculty members have about academic freedom. But he was hopeful in other ways.
“She’s not a politician,” Dr. Bright said. “We are so relieved by that.”
Dr. Ballabina is subject to a 21-day waiting period before the Board of Regents can make the appointment official.
Vimal Patel writes about higher education for The Times with a focus on speech and campus culture.
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