Texas A&M president out after hiring journalist with controversial DEI past

Texas A&M University announced Friday that the school's president, Katherine Banks, resigned after prominent new hire Kathleen McElroy resigned over "negative press."

Her exit comes as Republican lawmakers across the U.S. are targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campus. That includes Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill in June that dismantles program offices at public colleges.

The A&M System said in a statement that Banks told faculty leaders this week that she took responsibility for the "flawed hiring process" of Kathleen McElroy, a former New York Times editor who had been selected to revive the school's journalism department. The statement said "a wave of national publicity" suggested McElroy "was a victim of ‘anti-woke’ hysteria and outside interference in the faculty hiring process."