Mark A Welsh III steps down after pupil’s complaint led to blasting of schoolteacher and redundancy
of doyen and department head The chairman of Texas A&M University’s main lot is stepping down lower than two weeks after a pupil’s viral complaint about “ gender testament ” in the classroom set off a chain of impacts, including the blasting of the schoolteacher as well as the redundancy of a doyen and department president.
Mark A Welsh III, a sheltered air force four- star general, has been leading the university since 2022. His career before advanced education included time as a fighter airman, service on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, work as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs, a term as commander of pimps at the Air Force Academy, and a stint as doyen of the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M.
“ President Welsh is a man of honour who has led Texas A&M with selfless fidelity, ” the university’s chancellor, Glenn Hegar, in a statement. “ We’re thankful for his service and benefactions. At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the times ahead. ”
Welsh came chairman following the 2023 departure of Margaret Katherine Banks, who left amid uproar over the mishandled hiring of journalism professor Kathleen McElroy. That contestant drew fire from Texas Republicans because of McElroy’s ties to diversity, equity and addition enterprise, which are now banned in the state.
According to the Thursday evening advertisement, Welsh’s abdication will take effect on Friday.
“ moment, President Welsh has submitted his abdication, and both the Board of Regents and I agree that this is the right moment for change, ” Hegar said in a post on X.
Brian Harrison, a Democratic state representative who circulated the viral footage and pressed for Welsh’s junking, saluted the outgrowth.
“ As the first tagged functionary to call for him to be fired, this news is welcome, although overdue, ” Harrison wrote on X. “ Now. END ALL DEI AND LGBTQ INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS!! ”
The videotape clip at the centre of the contestant, which Harrison participated on 8 September, was firstly mugged in July during a children’s literature course. The pupil who spoke out, whose identity Harrison withheld at their request, and the educator, Melissa McCoul, are n’t visible in the footage. In another recording Harrison participated on social media, the same pupil can be heard speaking with Welsh. She asks Welsh if he approves of LGBTQ content being tutored at Texas A&M, to which Welsh replies that the courses are generally for scholars entering fields similar as psychiatry, comforting, education andnon-profit work.
“ Those people do n’t get to pick who their guests are, what citizens they serve, and they want to understand the issues affecting the people they’re going to treat, ” Welsh tells the pupil. “ So there’s a professional reason to educate some of these courses. ”
The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, had hovered to fire Welsh in January after the university’s business academy invited advanced PhD scholars and faculty to a conference designed to retain Black, Hispanic and Indigenous graduate scholars.
Though Abbott can not fire university chairpersons, he appoints the members of the Texas A&M University System board of regents, who do have that authority. Following the trouble, Welsh said Texas A&M would pull out of the conference fully.
