A poll conducted by the Council of Principal Investigators, an elected group of faculty who help oversee research activity at the school, found respondents distrust the president’s decision making since she took the helm nearly two years ago.
Texas A&M University President Kathy Banks poses for a portrait in the Zachry Engineering Education Complex in College Station on March 30, 2021. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune
Overall, the poll found that these principal investigators do not trust the current administration, and many feel that administrators are cultivating an environment of fear and intimidation on campus. In the survey responses, research faculty lamented that the university has made too many interim appointments and “unqualified leadership appointments” rather than conducting national searches to fill open positions, which has led to “incompetent handling of issues.
“I am dedicated to enhancing interaction with faculty and staff and have enacted several initiatives outlined in the memo to allow for greater accessibility, more frequent communication and opportunities for faculty and staff to provide feedback,” she said. “As I have stated in the past, I am committed to shared governance and will continue to place a strong focus on regularly assessing engagement with the greater campus community.
Banks also approved a restructuring of the branch of Texas A&M in Qatar that offers engineering undergraduate and graduate degrees. As of Sept 1., faculty who work in areas beyond engineering are no longer allowed to conduct research. Faculty who teach in areas that can grant degrees shifted from rolling contracts to fixed-term contracts for up to five years, and faculty who teach in non-degree-granting areas are on annual contracts, which critics argue will create more job insecurity.
The letter from council leadership said 89% of more than 237 faculty members supported Wooley’s concerns, while additional respondents submitted detailed comments online and “expressed additional misgivings.” Overall, the 237 respondents represent 14% of the estimated 2,000 principal investigators on campus.
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