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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Texas A&M president is stepping down after upheaval over classroom
video
By Associated Press
Updated:
11:15 PM EDT, Thu September 18, 2025
Source: AP
Texas A&M University’s president is stepping down after facing
criticism over a classroom video that showed a student objecting to a
children’s literature lesson about gender, which led to the
professor’s firing.
The resignation of school president Mark A. Welsh III was announced
Thursday by Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, who
said it was “the right moment for change” at one of the nation’s
largest universities.
Hegar did not mention the video in a statement. But Welsh’s departure
comes after the video thrust his campus into turmoil and put him under
criticism by some Republican lawmakers, including the state’s
lieutenant governor.
“Together, we believe this transition is necessary to ensure Texas
A&M is well positioned for the future, a future that demands bold
leadership, continued innovation, and an unwavering commitment to the
core values of this university to meet the challenges we face,” Hegar
said.
Welsh’s resignation will take effect on Friday, according to the
school. The university system did not immediately respond to an email
from The Associated Press requesting a copy of his resignation letter.
The university did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment
from Welsh.
The decision comes just over a week after Welsh announced that he had
directed the campus provost to fire Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer
in the English department with over a decade of teaching experience,
after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg
Abbott, who had called for her termination.
Welsh had said she was fired after he learned she had continued
teaching content in a children’s literature course “that did not
align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the
course.” He also said that the course content was not matching its
catalog descriptions.
McCoul’s attorney, Amanda Reichek, had pushed back on his claims,
saying in a statement that McCoul’s “course content was entirely
consistent with the catalog and course description, and she was never
instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form.”
Welsh had also ordered the removal of the dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences and the head of the English Department from their
administrative positions, while Hegar ordered an audit of courses at
all 12 schools in the system.
The actions by Texas A&M were criticized by faculty and writers’
groups.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had blasted Welsh and his handling of
the instructor.
“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.
Hegar described Welsh as working tirelessly and selflessly during his
presidential tenure, which started in 2023.
Welsh previously worked as dean of the university’s school of
government and public service after retiring from the US Air Force,
according to the school’s website.
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