Chancellor John Sharp on President Young’s Decision to Step Down
Chancellor Asks Professor John L. Junkins to Serve as Interim President BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Today I accepted Michael K. Young’s resignation as President, effective December 31, 2020. I want to thank him for his service to Texas A&M University and I look forward to seeing him fulfill his passion to create an institute addressing the issues of religious freedom and international affairs. During his tenure, the university increased research expenditures nearly 13 percent, to almost $1 billion a year; concluded a $4 billion Lead by Example fundraising campaign; and experienced a rise in national and world rankings. President Young faced a critical final year because of the pandemic, but he and the campus leadership have navigated it well. They deserve our thanks.
To continue that stewardship, I am recommending Dr. John L. Junkins as Interim President. He is a Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering and the holder of the Royce E. Wisenbaker Chair in Innovation in the College of Engineering as well Founding Director of the Hagler Institute of Advanced Study.
Dr. Junkins is an accomplished researcher, outstanding teacher and an innovator whose Institute has transformed our faculty. He also will bring a steady hand to the tiller to ensure that Texas A&M successfully navigates the next few months until a successor is named.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $6.3 billion. The Texas A&M System is a statewide network of 11 universities; a comprehensive health science center; eight state agencies, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management; and the RELLIS Campus. The Texas A&M System educates more than 151,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Systemwide, research and development expenditures exceeded $1 billion in FY 2019 and helped drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu