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Regents name Murano sole finalist in Presidential search
By: Steven Romo
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News
At the Texas A&M Board of Regents meeting today, Elsa Murano was named as the sole finalist in the search for the University's new president.
Murano is currently the vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The University president position opened up after A&M President Robert Gates left in December to become Secretary of Defense. Since Gates' departure, Eddie J. Davis has served as interim president of A&M.
Murano was appointed to her current position in the Agriculture and Life Sciences Department as well as the position of director of Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 2005.
Murano was also appointed Undersecretary for Food Safety in the U.S. Department of Agriculture by President George W. Bush in 2001.
Prior to that appointment, Murano had also been a professor in the department of animal sciences at A&M since 1995, according to the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station website.
If accepted, Murano will become the first woman and the first minority to ever be president of the University.
However, state law requires the regents to wait 21 days before officially offering Murano the position.
The vote for Murano was not unanimous; there were eight votes for and one against.
Regent member Gene Stallings was the sole dissenter. Stallings is quoted as saying a more suited candidate is available.
Stallings did not name the other candidate, but did say he would support the new president regardless of his personal views.
Murano is currently the vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The University president position opened up after A&M President Robert Gates left in December to become Secretary of Defense. Since Gates' departure, Eddie J. Davis has served as interim president of A&M.
Murano was appointed to her current position in the Agriculture and Life Sciences Department as well as the position of director of Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 2005.
Murano was also appointed Undersecretary for Food Safety in the U.S. Department of Agriculture by President George W. Bush in 2001.
Prior to that appointment, Murano had also been a professor in the department of animal sciences at A&M since 1995, according to the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station website.
If accepted, Murano will become the first woman and the first minority to ever be president of the University.
However, state law requires the regents to wait 21 days before officially offering Murano the position.
The vote for Murano was not unanimous; there were eight votes for and one against.
Regent member Gene Stallings was the sole dissenter. Stallings is quoted as saying a more suited candidate is available.
Stallings did not name the other candidate, but did say he would support the new president regardless of his personal views.
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