Jay RosenJul 21, 2023

Amazing story. Have you followed it?

Texas A&M announces a new journalism dean. She's black and she's qualified— and an alum of the school! Ex-New York Times too.

They announce her appointment in a splashy event.

Dark forces of reaction mobilize.

The offer is watered down to one year, with no tenure. She says no way, and withdraws. National news is made. It's negative. And today, the president of A&M resigns!

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/21/tamu-president-resign-journalism/

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/11/texas-a-m-kathleen-mcelroy-journalism/

#journalism #uspol #science

Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor

“The recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,” Banks wrote in her resignation letter. “The negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.”

The Texas Tribune
Show threadJay RosenJul 22, 2023

An even more incredible turn in the Texas A&M story, after the president of the University resigned July 20.

The current chair of the journalism department, who recruited Dr. McElroy, released a statement accusing the former president of rank duplicity.

More serious: he says someone altered the draft offer letter to reduce the McElroy appointment from five years to one, without telling him.

It's his signature on the letter.

Read his statement:

#journalism #uspol #texas #science

Show threadAndré Mayer
@jayrosen_nyu Not clear to me what (he says) happened. So it was an *earlier* draft that offered a one-year appointment? That he signed? (Who signs drafts?) And there was a later draft? Was there ever an actual offer?
Jul 22, 2023 at 6:01pmWeb
Show threadJay RosenJul 22, 2023

@havhmayer

From the statement it's not clear.

Using what would happen at my university as a guide. The department chair would do the recruitment, organize the search process, and communicate the terms the university is offering to a successful candidate. There could be back and forth with the higher-ups and the candidate, which the chair would be in the middle of.

The draft offer would be a way of saying "is this everything we agreed on?" The final letter would come from a dean or provost.