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Susan Ballabina is sole finalist for president of Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Texas A&M University System<\/p>\n
The Haynes Ring Plaza, featuring a Aggie ring replica, is seen on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Kyle Field is seen on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Texas A&M has named longtime administrator Susan Ballabina as the sole finalist for president of the flagship, setting her up to lead one of the largest universities<\/a> in the country and take on one of the most politically embattled jobs<\/a> in Texas higher education.<\/p>\n The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously selected Ballabina on Monday, prompting a mandatory 21-day waiting period. If approved in a final vote, Ballabina will be the flagship’s 28th permanent president and its third in five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of the Board, we are confident Dr. Ballabina is the right leader for Texas A&M University,\u201d Board Chairman Robert\u00a0L. Albritton said in a statement. \u201cShe brings unparalleled knowledge of Texas A&M, a collaborative leadership style and the experience and know-how to guide the university with vision and purpose. Equally importantly, she cares deeply about the people and communities this university serves.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n HIGHER ED: U.S. News ranked America’s top graduate programs. Here are the best in Texas.<\/a><\/p>\n Many faculty and staff expected the system to follow national trends<\/a> in higher education and choose a business executive or a politician. But Ballabina is neither, making her\u00a0selection a surprise for some at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n She would take office during a tense, fast-changing moment for\u00a0the university, which enrolls more than 81,000 students, most at its College Station campus.<\/p>\n While the university will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, faculty, staff and alumni are looking for stability after repeated turnover in the president’s office.\u00a0Ballabina will also have to mend relationships with professors who say that GOP lawmakers and administrators have chipped away at their academic freedom<\/a> in culture wars on college campuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Track record<\/p>\n Ballabina has worked for the Texas A&M System or its member institutions for more than 30 years, most recently as a trusted hand for two top leaders \u2014 a former Republican lawmaker-turned chancellor and a former university president who resigned under pressure from right-wing media and lawmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ballabina currently serves as executive vice chancellor for the A&M System, where she manages strategic initiatives for an expansive network of 12 universities and eight state agencies.<\/p>\n Chancellor Glenn Hegar<\/a>, the former Texas comptroller, hired her from the flagship last July, shortly after he began his role. Ballabina was previously chief of staff for former A&M President Mark A Welsh III. A retired four-star general, Welsh was immensely popular with students but consistently fought allegations<\/a> that he was pushing diversity, equity and inclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n System leaders conducted a national search for the next leader of Texas A&M.\u00a0Ballabina was initially on the search committee but\u00a0recused herself before she submitted her application, according to A&M System officials. She\u00a0did not evaluate any of her fellow candidates and was considered through the same process, they said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Ballabina emerged as the top choice because of her leadership, understanding of the A&M system and her past success in advancing key priorities, system officials said. Some of those include\u00a0leading the public health initiative known as Healthy Texas; forming the new Aplin Center<\/a>, which will house a visitor’s center and food development labs; and coordinating statewide disaster recovery efforts, such as after Hurricane Harvey.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving worked alongside so many dedicated members of this university for the past 30 years, I\u2019ve seen firsthand the remarkable impact Texas A&M has on students, communities and our state,\u201d Ballabina said in a statement. \u201cI am honored by the trust and confidence of the Board of Regents and Chancellor Hegar, and if given the opportunity, I look forward to building on the incredible work already underway and leading Texas A&M into its next chapter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ballabina earned her bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences from Tarleton State University in 1994, a master’s in communications from Stephen\u00a0F. Austin State University in 1998 and a doctorate in public affairs from University of Texas at Dallas\u00a0in 2007.<\/p>\n She began her career as a county agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, where she became deputy vice chancellor and chief operating officer in 2018.<\/p>\n She moved to the main university in 2021 as external affairs officer and senior vice president for academic and strategic collaborations, before becoming the president’s chief of staff in 2023. Ballabina was previously named a Regents Fellow for the A&M System, a distinguished alumni of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Tarleton State, and a\u00a0four-time recipient of the Superior Service Award from AgriLife Extension.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Predecessors<\/p>\n If approved next month,\u00a0Ballabina will take over for interim president Tommy Williams<\/a>, a Republican who spent six years as a state representative and 10 years as state senator. He has served in the university’s top office since October, after Welsh resigned in the fallout of a social-media fueled controversy<\/a> over the teaching of gender identity in a children’s literature course.<\/p>\n A&M: Notable alumni warn politics is reshaping Aggie leadership: ‘Excessive and damaging’<\/a><\/p>\n Welsh also entered the presidency in a tough spot as some faculty and staff said that his own predecessor bowed to political interference and weakened shared governance at A&M. In 2023, M. Katherine Banks\u00a0resigned<\/a> after the\u00a0botched hiring<\/a> of Kathleen McElroy, a prominent Black journalist who said her contract to lead the new journalism program was watered down because of\u00a0concerns about\u00a0her past experience in DEI.<\/p>\n