Mark Welsh named sole finalist for Texas A&M president

The Texas A&M University Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to name interim president Mark Welsh the lone finalist in its search for a new president.

Welsh, a retired Air Force general who previously served as the dean of the university’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, has been interim president since the resignation of previous president Dr. Katherine Banks in July.

Banks, who had held the position since 2021, resigned after events surrounding the failed hiring of professor and Texas A&M alumnus Kathleen McElroy.

The board deliberated for just over an hour and 40 minutes in executive session before taking a roll call vote in the by-telephone special meeting.

There is a mandatory 21-day waiting period between the time a sole finalist is selected and officially appointed. The board will set a meeting date to take a final vote after the waiting period is complete, Board Chair Bill Mahomes said.

Mahomes acknowledged during open session the selection of Welsh as lone finalist came at the recommendation of Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp.

“He is not in the room, but congratulations to him,” Mahomes said.

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