COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Talk1370.com) -- Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III will resign on Friday, capping a week of intense turmoil that began with a viral video and resulted in widespread political pressure.
The Texas A&M University System announced his departure on Thursday.
The controversy started when a video, shared online by State Representative Brian Harrison, showed a student confronting professor Melissa McCoul about her course content. The video, along with an audio recording of Welsh initially refusing to fire the professor, drew sharp public criticism from both Harrison and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Patrick, who has been a vocal critic, posted on X that Welsh's "ambivalence" was "unacceptable."
While Welsh fired the professor a day later, the action did not stop the criticism. Chancellor Glenn Hegar said in a statement that while Welsh "is a man of honor," a change in leadership was needed to "position Texas A&M for continued excellence."
The incident is the latest example of a growing campaign by Republican leaders to tighten control over state universities. In January, Gov. Greg Abbott had threatened Welsh after the university's business school planned to participate in a conference to recruit minority graduate students.
Despite the political pressure, Welsh had significant support from within the university. On Wednesday, both top faculty members and student leaders sent letters to the Board of Regents, urging them to keep Welsh. Many saw the retired four-star general as a steady leader who had brought stability to the university since his appointment in 2023, following the resignation of his predecessor, M. Katherine Banks, who also left amid controversy.
Board Chair Robert Albritton stated that the regents will soon appoint an interim president and begin a national search for Welsh's permanent replacement.