The Texas A&M system board of regents met Thursday in College Station.
Personnel items approved after discussion in executive session included taking legal action against a former Aggie football coach. Jeff Banks was the interim head coach after Kevin Sumlin was fired. Banks, who coached the Aggies in last year’s Belk Bowl, is now the special teams coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama. Authorization was given to A&M administrators to proceed with a lawsuit against Banks for breaching his contract.
Regents gave the A&M president the green light to execute contracts with new women’s golf coach Andrea Gaston and two unnamed men’s basketball assistant coaches.
Also after executive session, the board moved ahead with leasing land west of Veterans Park to build an intergenerational living facility and early childhood development center, leasing land on the RELLIS campus to build a data center, and take all actions necessary for the system to be a part of the new group that will operate the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory.
In other business, regents approved the system’s annual five year capital plan, which includes $617 million dollars in new A&M projects. That includes $85 million for a law school building, another $85 million for something called the instructional lab and innovative learning building, $58 million for an Aggie band residence hall, $41 million for something called the Southside innovation center, and $35 million for a south campus recreation center.
Click HERE for background information about the A&M system’s capital improvement plan.
Two building projects on the flagship campus were approved. One is an $11 million dollar storm water project that in part will correct water erosion along White Creek by building four detention ponds. The other is a $9 million dollar upgrade of A&M’s electrical distribution system at the Agronomy Road substation.
Click HERE for background information about the storm water project.
Click HERE for background information about the electrical distribution project.
In other business, regents approved a request from A&M administrators to approve an increase in the student recreational sports center fee from $106 to $145 dollars per semester. That would provide money for two new satellite facilities…one near the Corps of Cadets and Southside residence halls, and the other near the engineering education complex.
Additional information about the regents meeting is provided by the Texas A&M system:
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Thursday appointed a new president to one of the Texas A&M University System institutions and approved new titles for two of the System’s top administrators.
Board members officially named Dr. Mark J. Rudin as the new president of President of Texas A&M University-Commerce. Rudin most recently served the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Boise State University.
The Board of Regents also approved title changes of the following System leaders:
• Billy Hamilton, formerly Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, is now Deputy Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer.
• Dr. M. Katherine Banks is now Vice Chancellor for Engineering and National Laboratories, a title that reflects her leadership role with Triad National Security, LLC, which will manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory. She formerly was Vice Chancellor for Engineering for The Texas A&M University System. Dr. Banks also remains Dean of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering and Agency Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
Additionally, Dr. Patrick Stover was named as the sole finalist to be Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Stover already is Vice Chancellor and Dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M AgriLife.
The Board also appointed Charley Todd as Interim Agency Director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.
Additionally, the Board adapted three resolutions, including:
• A resolution honoring Dr. Ray M. Keck, III as President of Texas A&M University-Commerce and bestowing the title of President Emeritus,
• A resolution honoring Gary F. Sera for his outstanding dedication and service as agency director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, and
• A resolution recognizing officials of The Texas A&M University System for their contributions to the successful bid for the management and operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.