COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Susan Ballabina officially took office Monday as the 28th president of Texas A&M University, with Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar expressing confidence in her ability to lead the institution.
“I have absolute confidence that Dr. Ballabina is going to do a fantastic job as the president of Texas A&M University,” Hegar said Monday. “She has been part of our system for 32 years, worked in the university for several years. She’s one who understands it, knows the people, and understands the impact that it can have.”
Ballabina’s appointment fills a position that had been vacant for eight months following former President Mark Welsh’s resignation last September. The Board of Regents unanimously approved her appointment last week after she served as executive vice chancellor of the Texas A&M System.
Hegar said Ballabina received widespread support from across the university community during the 21 days between her announcement as the sole finalist and her formal approval.
“There was a significant amount of outpour from a cross-section of the Aggie network,” Hegar said. “Pretty much everybody was talking about how qualified she is to serve in this capacity, how well known she is, how well respected she has been throughout her career.”
Ballabina is the third woman to serve as president of Texas A&M, following Elsa Murano (2008–2009) and M. Katherine Banks (2021–2023). She takes over from interim President Tommy Williams.
Hegar said Ballabina’s immediate priorities include meeting with faculty, students, employees, alumni and affiliate organizations across the system.
“At the end of the day, everybody is very proud of this university,” Hegar said. “The vision for going forward to being from a great university to an even greater university and making sure we are focused on our students, that we’re focused on research, cutting-edge technology, making sure that we are having a servant’s heart, bringing leadership among our students so they can take the next step forward in serving not just the state, but the nation and impacting the world.”
The university will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.
Ballabina originally served on the presidential search committee but recused herself before applying for the position. System leaders said she never evaluated candidates.
After her approval last week, Ballabina told the Board of Regents she was ready to lead the university forward.
“How lucky am I to get the opportunity to lead us through that and to help everyone get focused on what matters, and that’s our students,” Ballabina said.
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