How the vacant position may affect the Governors future.
By Luke Baker Texas Insider
Texas A&M President Elsa Murano has resigned. A statement issued through her lawyer Sunday said she was doing what she believed to be in the Universitys best interests and she hoped to return to a position as a faculty member. Murano resigned a day before the A&M Board of Regents were scheduled to meet and discuss the future of the universitys leadership.
Murano was the first female President and first Hispanic President of Texas A&M. Before being chosen for the job she served as undersecretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as the dean of A&Ms College of Agriculture. Though successful in both roles Murno dealt with a rocky 17th-month term as university president.
Publicly the turmoil began in February when the university released a
performance review of Muranos first year. Chancellor Michael McKinney a known Murano supporter during the presidential search process conducted the review.
Yet the two often butted heads during Muranos term. McKinneys February 2009 review evaluated Murano in 40 performance categories all rated on a 1-5 scale (5 meaning excellent). Murano received no 5s and averaged a 2.7 rating. The Statesman reported that in the one year evaluation McKinney gave the president low marks for honesty decision-making integrity and other attributes and said that she does a very poor job of carrying out board decisions with which she disagrees.
Murano disputed the review. Given the complete disconnection between Dr. McKinneys perception of my performance as president and all the evidence to the contrary I can conclude that this review was not based on facts she wrote in a response to McKinney and the Board of Regents.
All of this is not lost on Governor Rick Perry.
Perry an active A&M alumnus has been rumored as interested in becoming president of the university. To become president he would need the support of A&Ms nine member Board of Regents. Not only did Perry appoint all nine regents but Chancellor McKinney is Perrys former chief of staff.
On Saturday the
Statesman reported on other Perry loyalists who are near the situation: Guy Diedrich the vice chancellor for federal relations and commercialization is close with Perry. Mark Ellison the associate vice chancellor for economic development has worked closely on economic projects with Perry. Perry helped recruit Brett Giroir vice chancellor for research. Finally Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Weber currently the vice president for student affairs was a classmate of Perrys at A&M and the two have remained friends.
Apart from having a favorable selection board Perry also has the benefit of good timing. The final legislative session of Perrys term recently ended and a competitive high-dollar gubernatorial primary race with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has not yet begun. If Perry has ever dreamed of becoming President of Texas A&M the open position couldnt have come at a better time.
