Texas A&M President Katherine Banks Steps Down Amid Journalism Program Fallout

Texas A&M University President M. Katherine Banks has resigned "immediately" following controversy surrounding the appointment of Kathleen McElroy as the head of the journalism program. McElroy, a former New York Times editor, faced pushback over her work promoting diversity, including an opinion column advocating for more nonwhite faculty members. After initially being promised a five-year contract, McElroy was offered a one-year deal, which she declined. The situation led to the resignation of the dean overseeing the College of Arts and Sciences and a tense meeting between Banks and the faculty senate. Banks cited the negative attention as a distraction for the university and expressed embarrassment over how the situation was handled.