The employment status of Elsa Murano -- Texas A&M University's first Hispanic and first female president -- could be decided Monday.
Texas A&M University System regents have called a special meeting in which they will consider -- in closed session -- personnel matters relating to "A&M System Administration Officers and all employees; Texas A&M University President, Executive Level Officers and all employees; and other officers reporting directly to the Board."
Murano, who declined to comment through a spokesman, was not mentioned by name in the board agenda, posted on the regents' Web site Friday morning. The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the regents' boardroom at the Memorial Student Center. The next regular meeting was scheduled for July 16.
It was unclear exactly what the agenda meant. A spokesman for the Texas A&M University System, Rod Davis, declined to comment because it's against system policy to discuss personnel issues. Texas A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney and several regents did not respond to messages. Only Regent Gene Stallings, who had not seen a copy of the agenda and wasn't involved in its creation, returned a call.
The meeting follows controversy sparked by McKinney when he told The Eagle in late May that combining his and Murano's jobs was one of several cost-cutting measures regents were considering.
Though McKinney said no solid plans were in place, the possibility of such a move drew intense and widespread criticism.
The extent of Murano's precariousness became more obvious last week when McKinney's scathing February job review of her was released in response to an open records request filed 11 days earlier by The Eagle.
In a handwritten review deemed unprofessional by many in the academic and business communities who read it, McKinney gave Murano poor marks for honesty and integrity and being a team player.
McKinney did not offer specifics in the review and left blank a page provided for his goals for the president and space for a summary of her strengths and areas that needed attention.
Murano rejected the review and sent a strongly worded response to McKinney and the regents.
According to Monday's agenda, regents also could take action on the following:
* Recommendations on any and all other things involving shared services initiatives;
* Appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of executive level officers and/or employees of the Texas A&M University System; and
* Authorization for the chancellor to enter into agreements by and between the Texas A&M University System and executive-level officers of the Texas A&M University System.
The last item on the agenda involves the chairman of the board's discussing the structure of the executive administration at the system level.
Regents have referred inquiries to Morris Foster, chairman of the board. Foster has not responded to several messages seeking comment. On Friday, he declined to comment through a spokesman.
The lack of clarity about Monday's meeting permeated all levels of Texas A&M University. No one interviewed by The Eagle on Friday -- several faculty members, students and administrators -- knew what to expect Monday. But many expressed their belief that Murano's job was at stake.
"I am terribly afraid they are going to be considering ... dismissing Dr. Murano," said Angie Hill-Price, a former speaker of the faculty senate. "I think this is an incredible disservice to the university and the concept of shared governance."
Jon Hagler, a co-chair of Vision 2020, the university's broad 20-year plan for academic excellence, predicted a "firestorm that may engulf the chancellor and perhaps the regents as well" if Murano is disciplined or dismissed because she doesn't "salute smartly enough." He pointed out that Murano was McKinney's personal choice "against all professional advice."
"Former students like me have watched with dismay since late 2006 as the chancellor -- a political appointee without genuine academic credentials or any legislative or academic oversight -- has turned half a century of autonomy and progress at the flagship campus into a meddling, corporate-style interventionism that is damaging the quality and integrity of [Texas A&M University] and, I suspect, the other institutions in the system as well," Hagler said in a statement Friday.
The distinguished alumnus added: "I cannot speak for other former students, but I can say this: it is inconceivable to me that I could continue to financially support a university whose governance has been so politicized and convoluted that its presidency is selected and dismissed with such callous disregard for due process or thoughtful community involvement."
The executive committee of the faculty senate and Texas A&M's Council of Principal Investigators sent an open letter to faculty members Friday in which they urged regents to ensure that Texas A&M University stakeholders participate fully in deciding the future of the university and its leaders.
"Recent events have diminished the Office of the President of Texas A&M University and are likely to destabilize the University and erode its ability to hire the most qualified administrators and faculty," the letter says. "What talented administrator or faculty member would move to an institution where decisions are made unilaterally, disagreement is viewed as disloyalty, and transparency is not valued?"
Stallings, the only regent who responded to a message, said he wasn't involved in creating the agenda.
"Has anything been settled or discussed? No," he said. "Everything is strictly rumor. The chairman will know what he wants to discuss. Myself, I have not put up anything to be discussed. I'm just going to be there. Whatever we discuss, I'll take part in it."
Some have suggested that Monday's meeting is an attack on shared governance, the idea of gathering and considering the views of stakeholders before making major decisions. Stallings disagreed.
"I don't think that's right at all," he said. "I think shared governance, to a point, is very important. But you've got to realize that a faculty member has a job to do at Texas A&M, a dean has a job to do, a football coach, an athletics director, they all have jobs to do. ... Some jobs make certain decisions, and other jobs make other decisions."
R. Douglas Slack, also a former speaker of the faculty senate, introduced talk last Monday of passing a resolution of "no confidence" in the chancellor. On Friday, he urged calm.
"I think we need to wait and see what goes on [at the meeting]" he said. "We don't want the environment to be supercharged at a time when they're making decisions about Texas A&M, leadership and everything else."
Murano became president of the 48,000-student university in January 2008 after a presidential search process that itself was controversial.
A 14-member search committee that included faculty, students, regents, administrators and alumni recommended three sitting university presidents to regents after a months-long search.
Regents instead approved 8-1 the selection of Murano, who wasn't one of the three finalists or a handful of candidates interviewed by the board. Stallings cast the sole dissenting vote.
In a decision that members of the search committee say has never been explained, McKinney recommended Murano, who was then vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Letter with concerns of faculty members
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