katherine banks
Katherine Banks became the school's president in 2021 and immediately set about restructuring its many departments. She resigned today over the botched hiring of Kathleen McElroy.
Texas A&M's president has resigned after her botched hiring of a former New York Times editor to lead the journalism department which ended in her turning down a watered-down deal and complaining she was the victim of 'anti-woke hysteria'.

Katherine Banks became the school's president in 2021 and immediately set about restructuring its many departments.

She was widely criticized for doing-away with tenured library staff, but was most criticized for her handling of the hiring of Dr. Kathleen McElroy, a veteran journalist and former editor at The New York Times.

Banks originally offered McElroy, who has 20 years of experience in newsrooms and a PhD, a tenured contract to lead A&M's journalism school.

Her appointment was announced with huge fanfare in June. She spoke proudly of accepting the role at her alma matter.

But blowback soon came from some conservative groups who voiced concerns that her past at the Times would inevitably insert a left-wing biased into classes.

McElroy was offered a five-year contract, then a one-year contract, which she declined.

'He said, "You're a Black woman who was at The New York Times and, to these folks, that's like working for Pravda,"' McElroy said of the conversation she had with Dean José Luis Bermúdez.

Pravda is the newspaper of the Communist Party in Russia that began in the early 1900s.

'I feel damaged by this entire process. I'm being judged by race, maybe gender.

'And I don't think other folks would face the same bars or challenges,' she said in an interview with The Texas Tribune about the botched hiring process.

The school today announced Banks' resignation, saying in a press-release that there was a suggestion McElroy was a victim of 'anti-woke hysteria'.

'In June, the university announced the hiring of McElroy to revive the school's journalism program, but that fell apart as the details of the job offer changed from a position with the possibility of tenure to a one-year professor of practice appointment, with the option to renew.

'At the Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday, President Banks denied knowing about the changes in the job offer but took responsibility for a flawed hiring process after a wave of national publicity suggesting McElroy, who has done research on diversity and inclusion, was a victim of "anti-woke" hysteria and outside interference in the faculty hiring process,' the release said.

Banks took the blame for the 'embarrassing' debacle in a call with the school faculty senate this week.

'I will say it has been a difficult week for Texas A&M. I'm saddened by the negative attention that we've received.

'It's been detrimental to our shared goals and vision,' she said.