A program’s future at stake

University leaders to meet with state authorities to discuss degree approval

By Ana Renfroe @aeoenia

On Thursday, July 27, Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences leaders will present to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or THECB, in hopes of gaining approval for its journalism degree program.

The THECB’s quarterly board meeting is open to the public and will be held in Austin at the Barbara Jordan Building in Room 2.035 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The outgoing College of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean José Luis Bermúdez, Ph.D, and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Alan Sams, Ph.D, will present to the THECB on behalf of A&M.

In 2004, A&M discontinued its then-55year-old journalism major. The journalism major was replaced with a minor, then later offered as a University Studies degree as a concentration. After university President M. Katherine Banks expanded on her plans to reestablish the program in 2022, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents granted approval for the reinstatement of the journalism major in February.

In Banks’ 2022 State of the University Address, Banks said the reestablished journalism program will emphasize “high-impact learning experiences with industry professionals.”

After Kathleen McElroy, Ph.D, University of Texas at Austin professor, former director and A&M Class of 1981, was announced as the new journalism director on June 13, students and faculty celebrated and welcomed her addition to the program. McElroy held a multitude of writing and editorial positions, garnering nearly 30 years of experience while working for various publications — most notably, The New York Times. McElroy’s expertise also includes race and news media, sports, newsroom ethics and obituaries. After diversity, equity and inclusion, or

DEI, institutions were banned from Texas public colleges, McElroy’s interest in race and media led to her being labeled a “DEI proponent.”

“I don’t study DEI. I am not considered a DEI researcher. I’m not a DEI administrator,” McElroy said. “That’s one thing I really want to make clear. I’ve been labeled ‘DEI’ because I’m a black woman.”

On June 13, McElroy publicly signed her contract for director, but soon after, the terms of the position began changing as college leadership was concerned that she would not be approved for tenure by the A&M Board of Regents due to her areas of expertise.

Following weeks of controversy after the failed hiring and contract negotiation of McElroy, A&M and its leadership have received public backlash from faculty, staff, students and alumni. On July 17, Bermúdez announced he would be stepping down from his position as interim dean after July 31 in light of the situation.

Although the journalism program has yet to secure a director, Bermúdez said the College of Arts and Sciences remains fully committed to the journalism degree and program.

“We will continue the national search for an outstanding practitioner and educator to lead the program,” Bermúdez said in a July 12 email to The Battalion. “Courses are taught by faculty we already have, so the students will be able to learn from those courses and faculty, even before a program director is named.”

Although the search for another suitable candidate continues, Bermúdez said the program can still be implemented without a director but will be administered by the Department of Communication and Journalism.

If the program is approved, Bermúdez said students will be able to declare journalism as their major by the fall 2023 semester. If students satisfy university and program transfer requirements, they can also request to change their major.

Although the journalism degree has yet to be approved, the future of the program has garnered national interest and media attention, leaving many concerned about “outside influences” that may have impacted McElroy’s hiring and negotiation process.

On July 17, Shannon Van Zandt, the executive associate dean of the School of Architecture, announced to students and faculty that she plans to step down after Aug. 31 after learning about the unfolding of McElroy’s contract.

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On June 15, the right-wing publication Texas Scorecard published an article titled “Aggies Hire NY Times ‘Diversity’ Advocate To Head Journalism Program.” The article refers to McElroy as a “diversity, equity, and inclusion proponent.”

Following the article’s publication, A&M provided a statement to the Texas Scorecard. In the statement provided, A&M said McElroy was “a superb professor, veteran journalist and proven leader, as well as an Aggie” and that she was “position[ed] uniquely to lead the new program.”

After the signing, McElroy said she was informed that she may be unable to secure tenure due to the approval process by the Board of Regents. According to The New York Times, the regents had read the Texas Scorecard article.

McElroy said she verbally agreed to a fiveyear contract with no tenure and a meeting with the Board of Regents in August.

“I agreed … I’ll change to a multi-year

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“I no longer feel that I can assure faculty going through the tenure and promotion process that the process will be done fairly and without interference from political forces,” Van Zandt wrote in the letter. “I can no longer confidently communicate to faculty candidates our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity, nor the integrity of our hiring, tenure, promotion and retention efforts. Further, although generally an optimist, I have lost faith in the ideal of shared governance as it is practiced on this campus. As a planner, I have taught and practiced the ideals of contract, and then they wanted me to go before the Board of Regents, and I said okay,” McElroy said. “I’d have to explain who I am, but after that one slide about who I am, I’m not just a ‘diversity proponent’ or ‘advocate,’ that I could talk about all the great things we could do at A&M journalism.”

McElroy said she received a call from the interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences José Luis Bermúdez on July 7, warning of people who could force leadership to fire her. McElroy said she was advised by Bermúdez to stay at her position at UT.

McElroy said Bermúdez told her that her hiring “stirred up a hornet’s nest” and that “even if he hired me, these people could make him fire me … that the president and the chancellor, no one can stop that from happening,” according to The Texas Tribune.

The Board of Regents met the day before and discussed McElroy’s hiring, according to The Texas Tribune. The agenda lists a discussion of personnel matters in an executive session, which was closed to the public.

McElroy said she received an updated offer on July 9, but it was not the offer she verbally transparency and inclusivity to the best of my ability. I see no commitment to those ideals in the current administration of the university or system.”

On July 14, Speaker of the Faculty Senate, Tracy Hammond, Ph.D, wrote a letter to Banks and A&M System Chancellor John Sharp, publicly denouncing any outside influence in the hiring and promotion of faculty. Hammond said recent opposition to McElroy’s hiring was “the tip of the iceberg,” imploring Banks and Sharp to prevent such future actions.

The Rudder Association, or TRA, a group of A&M former students and community members, has faced past allegations of involve- agreed to. McElroy said she was offered a oneyear appointment as director, but she could be terminated “at will” for any reason, as per Texas state law.

McElroy told The Texas Tribune she would be returning to UT instead of agreeing to the new offer in an article published on July 11. However, McElroy would continue negotiations with A&M’s general counsel during a July 14 meeting.

“Dr. McElroy is an Aggie,” McElroy’s lawyer John T. Lopez said, according to The Eagle. “She loves and admires and respects the university and having the position of director of the journalism program is a dream job for her. She will do everything possible to make sure that there is secure understanding of that by the university and everybody else concerned.”

In a July 17 article, The Eagle confirmed that Lopez is no longer representing McElroy. In an email addressed to students and faculty, Bermúdez announced on July 17 he will be stepping down from his role as interim dean after July 31.

“I feel in the light of controversy surround- ment in influencing the decisions of top A&M administrators.

Recently, TRA has received national attention due to concerns over its level of influence after it expressed concerns to A&M administration about McElroy’s selection.

“[The Rudder Association] respectfully disagrees with the characterization of taxpayers, tuition payers and donors as ‘outside influence,’” TRA wrote in a July 15 press release.

Additionally, TRA said it believes regents and elected officials should not be viewed as an outside influence either as they ensure that “the strategic decisions of our state institutions align with the expectations and future needs of all Texans.” ing recent communications with Dr. Kathleen McElroy that this is the best thing that I can do to preserve the great things that we have achieved over the last year in creating the College of Arts and Sciences at [A&M],” Bermúdez wrote. “My continuation in this role would be a needless distraction as you all continue the work that we have begun.”

In a faculty senate meeting on July 19, President Banks said the president’s office had no documentation of the five-year contract McElroy said she verbally agreed to. Banks also said she did not know what gave McElroy the impression the original offer had been revoked.

“I was not in any of these conversations.” Banks said. “Certainly, if I had been asked by her, or others … we assumed that offer was valid and that she would show up August 1.”

Editor’s note: Valerie Muñoz, the author of “Aggies Hire NY Times ‘Diversity’ Advocate To Head Journalism Program,” is a former opinion writer for The Battalion.

TRA acknowledged statements from A&M faculty senators, but it believes that all university stakeholders, including Texas citizens, share a common goal for the program: “to produce journalists who uphold the highest standards of integrity, thereby restoring public trust in the profession for the benefit of society.”

“We all have a stake in the success of this initiative,” Dr. Matthew Poling, MD, TRA president, said. “Our collective aim should be to foster a journalism department that prepares its students to uphold the principles of journalistic integrity and contribute positively to their profession and our society.”

“The outrageous treatment of distinguished journalist Kathleen McElroy by Texas A&M is beyond the pale. They will pay dearly for this disgrace. The choreography mirrors the treatment of Nikole Hannah Jones by UNC. Univs are bowing to white supremacy,” Ifill tweeted.

ACLU of Texas

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas

“Dr. Kathleen McElroy was set to lead the Texas A&M journalism school. Now, the university has changed their offer — because of her work on race and diversity in newsrooms. Efforts to whitewash and erode the quality of public education threaten our state,” ACLU of Texas tweeted.

Matt Poling

The Rudder Association President

“We felt she wasn’t a good fit ... I think identity politics have done a lot of damage to our country, and the manifestation of that on campus, the D.E.I. ideology, has done damage to our culture at A&M,” Poling told the New York Times.

Serbino Sandifer-Walker Associate Dean of Texas Southern University Journalism

“Reading this story made my blood boil because I know Kathleen McElroy. That the leadership of Texas A&M University attempted to dim, diminish, and destroy a brilliant human being because she is Black is a shame. She’s an alumna of that school. She’s a stellar journalist and a professor,” SandiferWalker tweeted.

Editorial Board

The Eagle Bryan-College Station

“Texas A&M University has given itself a black eye in an embarrassing one-two punch that continues to fester with the Kathleen McElroy controversy,” The Eagle Editorial Board said.

Texas Scorecard

Texas Scorecard publication

“REAL JOURNALISM MATTERS

Last month, we reported that Texas A&M University hired a former New York Times senior editor and a proponent of DEI, as director to their new journalism program. Since then, A&M began altering her contract. Last week, she rejected the job offer,” Texas Scorecard tweeted.

Texas A&M University President

“I’m just sad... I believe we lost a very, very good hire,” Banks said during the July 9, 2023, Faculty Senate meeting.