Texas A&M’s governing board voted unanimously on Wednesday to confirm Susan Ballabina as the university’s next president, placing a longtime administrator at the helm of the state’s largest public university as it searches for stability after a string of leadership crises and political pressures. Ballabina, who has worked in the Texas A&M system for more than three decades, will assume the role on May 11. She most recently served as executive vice chancellor overseeing day-to-day operations across the system’s 12 universities and eight state agencies, and previously was chief of staff to former President Mark Welsh.
Chancellor Glenn Hegar said Ballabina stood out among a strong pool of national candidates. Board Chair Robert L. Albritton said the unanimous decision “sends a strong signal that Texas A&M is aligned, confident and moving forward with momentum.”
Regent James R. “Randy” Brooks added, “We are looking forward to some peace in this organization, and we’re confident you can provide it.”
The appointment is the latest turn in a tumultuous period for Texas A&M. Welsh resigned in September 2025 after facing criticism for his handling of a lecturer’s discussion of gender identity in a children’s literature course, which was secretly recorded and posted online. He initially told a student he would not fire lecturer Melissa McCoul, then fired her. Two months later, regents imposed systemwide restrictions on classroom discussion of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity unless approved in advance by a university president, and barred faculty from teaching material inconsistent with an approved syllabus.
Texas A&M’s leadership churn extends further back. In 2023, President M. Katherine Banks resigned after the failed hiring of Kathleen McElroy, an experienced Black journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin whom Texas A&M recruited to revive its program. McElroy walked away from an offer that university officials watered down after outside groups criticized her past work for the New York Times and support for diversity.
Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said Ballabina’s selection brought “some level of relief” because faculty feared regents might choose a politician. However, he said her lack of classroom and research experience raises questions. “Is she going to stand up for faculty when there are political attacks?” he asked.
B. Don Russell, a Texas A&M professor and chair of the university’s distinguished professors group, offered a more supportive view, saying Ballabina was “among the most open for discussions with faculty” of the administrators he has worked with. He said her broad experience across the university system and in state politics would serve the university well. He did not see her lack of a traditional classroom background as a major limitation.
Texas has seen a broader political remaking of higher education since 2023. Lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training; expanded regents’ authority over curriculum; and imposed rules limiting protesting on campus, including bans on encampments and overnight demonstrations. Supporters of the new laws say they keep universities focused on their core mission of providing degrees that lead to profitable careers. Opponents say they undercut universities’ mission to be spaces for open inquiry.
Ballabina assumes the presidency as Texas A&M, which enrolled 72,289 students in fall 2025, wraps up the spring semester. Final exams ended Tuesday, commencement began Wednesday and ceremonies in College Station continue through Saturday, according to the university’s academic calendar.
“This is an important moment for us,” Ballabina said, after choking up. “We’re going to celebrate 150 years. We’re going to roll out a new strategic plan. And how lucky am I to get the opportunity to lead us through that and help everyone get focused on what matters — and that’s our students; that is our life-changing research; and that is our staff who help us do everything.”