Interim President Mark Welsh’s report addresses Texas A&M’s path forward

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -More changes could be underway at Texas A&M. In fact, the university may be undoing some of the changes that were put in place by the previous university president.

Initiatives once considered a top priority by former Texas A&M University leaders are now receiving renewed attention. After a challenging summer for the university, interim President Mark Welsh released a 32-page report Tuesday titled the ‘Quick-Look Assessment of the Path Forward Implementation” that centers on strategies for further advancing the university in the areas of academic realignment, capital projects, and centralized resources.

The report aims to resolve concerns about the earlier MGT report released in 2021 by former President Kathy Banks. While this report acknowledges positive outcomes, university officials say adjustments are needed as the university approaches its 150th anniversary.

General observations:

According to the report Texas A&M University continues to hold its position as a tier 1, AAU, land-grant, public university and remains one of the outstanding institutions of higher education at the state, national, and global levels. University officials say It boasts a world-class faculty, dedicated staff, and committed alumni, all eager to contribute to the ongoing elevation of the institution to address global societal needs, issues, and challenges. However, the report did acknowledge some concerns about the university directions held by Aggies, faculty, staff, and the Texas A&M community.

“Shared governance, a hallmark of any tier 1 research university, has been weakened by some of the changes, and efforts need to be made to restore mechanisms to engage faculty and staff, and rely more on local expertise in strategic areas than consulting firms with less understanding of the organizational culture,” the report said.” Academic program decisions, especially curricular choices, need to return to the faculty with less top-down directed solutions. This includes department and degree names, what programs should be proposed, and how academic units and programs must be structured.

However, university officials say despite challenges, the campus community is resilient and hopeful for a recovery with administrative accountability and transparency. They also stress the need to move forward and strive for a better tomorrow.

“While it may be easy to focus on what has not worked, there are positive outcomes from the Path Forward that have positioned the university to make new strides in the future. There are also adjustments and changes in direction that are needed to fully realize the full impact of this university as we approach our 150th anniversary,” the report added.

Restructuring the Provost Office and Creation of the Vice President for Faculty Affairs (VPFA)

The report offers recommendations for restructuring the Provost’s office and creating a VP for Faculty Affairs to enhance organizational clarity, communication, and collaboration within the university.

Recommendations:

• Elevate the role of the Provost by returning the Chief Academic Officer to the position of Executive Vice President and Provost, clearly demonstrating it is the number two position in the university.

• Return the Vice President for Faculty Affairs (VPFA) to a Dean of Faculties (DOF) position with a modified Provost title, such as DOF and Vice Provost. Retain the focus of the current Faculty Affairs Office with its processing improvements, standardizations, and professional development. Consider how the research function is best integrated with the academic function by examining how peers structure this function.

• Return select academic functions to the Provost due to their strong connection to the academic mission, including the Aggie Honor System Office, Education Abroad, and Transition Academic Programs.

• Recreate an Enrollment Management unit under the Provost, bringing together the offices of Admissions, Recruitment, Visitor Center, International Student Services, Registrar, Scholarships & Financial Aid, Student Business Services, and the Aggie One Stop.

• Form a group to review the new admission programs like opportunity admissions, centralized transfer admissions, and the completion admissions program for immediate changes for Fall 2024 decisions.

• Form a group to conduct to space capacity study to determine an appropriate enrollment strategy, considering all impacted areas by enrollment growth.

• Transition oversight of TAMU By the Numbers to the Academic & Business Performance Analytics unit.

Academic Realignment

In the report, university officials acknowledge previous academic realignment changes caused controversy, including faculty reductions in university libraries and governance concerns in the College of Arts & Sciences.

The report also highlights issues with centralizing five key functions, resulting in operational disparities and communication challenges. Several major capital construction projects find themselves in uncertain waters. Projects, such as the Corps of Cadets March to 3000 expansion, Museum/Library complex, and Agronomy Road project, lack funding plans as they are still in the concept and development phase.

Welsh is now seeking feedback from the university. He says he will use that feedback to inform his decisions regarding the next steps. These decisions will be shared on October 4th during an all-faculty, staff, and student meeting at the Hall of Champions.

Message from the office of the Texas A&M Interim President Mark Welsh III

A copy of the full report can be found below. More information can also be found here.

Texas A&M University Quick-Look Assessment of the Path Forward Implementation by KBTX on Scribd