Spring Break
EDITORIAL: Leadership needed
Issue date: 6/16/09 Section: Opinion
We believe that the process that culminated in Dr. Murano's resignation yesterday has endangered the reputation of Texas A&M University in the eyes of students, parents, faculty and staff.
Because of the events of recent weeks, people around the state and nation have seen that, despite the size of our alma mater, Aggies have not risen above the small town, good ol' boy network politics of small backwater institutions.
This kind of back-slapping, cliquey administration of university affairs was tolerable when A&M was one of many state schools in the nation, content with producing fine farmers, engineers and some of the finest officers in our nation's military ranks.
Now that the official policy of the University is to become a consensus top 10 university by 2020, the top officials of this school must realize that what used to pass in Texas does not necessarily make the cut with the people in other parts of the country whose consensus we will be seeking in 11 years.
They must also realize that the public, Aggie and non-Aggie alike, are not content with the high-handed treatment of concerns that have been voiced online, in this paper and by members of the media.
In his press conference yesterday afternoon, Chairman of the board Morris Foster continued this treatment, refusing to provide any more substantive information than could be found in a brochure.
Mr. Foster's answers lacked the candidness with the public that will be required if we are to avoid slipping further off the track on which the creators of Vision 2020 placed us, and along which President Gates prodded us during his term in office. We need more leadership from our Board of Regents, and we eagerly await it.
Because of the events of recent weeks, people around the state and nation have seen that, despite the size of our alma mater, Aggies have not risen above the small town, good ol' boy network politics of small backwater institutions.
This kind of back-slapping, cliquey administration of university affairs was tolerable when A&M was one of many state schools in the nation, content with producing fine farmers, engineers and some of the finest officers in our nation's military ranks.
Now that the official policy of the University is to become a consensus top 10 university by 2020, the top officials of this school must realize that what used to pass in Texas does not necessarily make the cut with the people in other parts of the country whose consensus we will be seeking in 11 years.
They must also realize that the public, Aggie and non-Aggie alike, are not content with the high-handed treatment of concerns that have been voiced online, in this paper and by members of the media.
In his press conference yesterday afternoon, Chairman of the board Morris Foster continued this treatment, refusing to provide any more substantive information than could be found in a brochure.
Mr. Foster's answers lacked the candidness with the public that will be required if we are to avoid slipping further off the track on which the creators of Vision 2020 placed us, and along which President Gates prodded us during his term in office. We need more leadership from our Board of Regents, and we eagerly await it.
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