The Board of Regents named Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar ‘93 the sole finalist for chancellor of the Texas A&M System in a unanimous vote Friday afternoon.
The vote triggers a 21-day wait mandated by state law before the Board can officially appoint him to the role, which he would begin July 1. Once in the position, Hegar will lead the A&M System and its 11 universities, eight state agencies and over 150,000 students.
“The Board is confident that Glenn Hegar is ready to usher in the next era of excellence at The Texas A&M University System,” Regent Bill Mahomes said in a statement. “Hegar grasps the unique breadth and depth of the System’s impact on every corner of Texas through its eight state agencies and 11 universities. We, as members of the Board of Regents, are eager to see what he will accomplish.”
In a statement, Hegar thanked Chancellor John Sharp ’72 and called the opportunity “a tremendous honor.”
“The Texas A&M University System will remain focused on our core values, increasing and improving student experiences, and expanding economic opportunities and services across our system and our state,” Hegar said in the statement. “Leadership matters, and I embrace this duty with deep commitment and respect. I look forward to working with the Regents, as we set forth a bold vision to better serve our students, the people of Texas, and our Nation.”
Hegar oversees tax collection, estimates the state budget and manages Texas’ treasury as comptroller. He was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018 and 2022, and he previously served as an attorney, state representative from 2003 to 2007 and state senator from 2007 to 2014. A sixth-generation Texan, he graduated from A&M in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, later earning a Master of Arts and law degree from St. Mary’s University and a Master of Laws from the University of Arkansas.
“The Board members were pleased to see its search for chancellor yield so much interest and so many qualified candidates,” Mahomes said in the statement. “We thank everyone who was involved in this extensive search and selection process.”
Hegar will succeed Sharp, the longest-serving chancellor in the A&M System’s history, when he retires on June 30. During his almost 14 years in the top role, Sharp has overseen several of the System’s largest successes: He championed the creation of the technology-focused RELLIS campus, helped acquire a law school that has since risen rapidly in national rankings and secured unprecedented funding from the state legislature, among an extensive list of achievements.
“Leading this grand enterprise has been one of the great privileges of my life,” Sharp said in a statement last year. “I feel a deep sense of gratitude to all of you who have shown confidence in me and contributed to our collective endeavor. Together we have lifted the Texas A&M System to historic heights.”
The Board of Regents, a 10-person group with nine members appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and one student with non-voting rights that oversees the System, began a national search for Sharp’s replacement following the announcement. Last week, they interviewed the five finalists: Hegar, Texas A&M Foundation President Tyson Voelkel ‘96, University of Alabama President Stuart Bell ‘79, State Rep. Trent Ashby ‘96 (R-9) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-10).
Hegar’s appointment comes amid a tumultuous time at the flagship university. Last Friday, an on-campus drag show ban passed by the Board spurred a federal lawsuit aimed at the regents and Sharp that seeks to overturn it on First Amendment grounds. A&M also faces its third day in a row of campus protests, with the latest — a student demonstration denouncing federal research funding cuts — set for noon today at the Academic Plaza.
But controversy comes with the job, and Sharp, age 74, has adopted a Sam Houston mantra: “Do right and to hell with the consequences.”
He was in the top role when “DEI hysteria” and watered-down contracts led to a national scandal after Kathleen McElroy ‘81 rejected the director role in A&M’s revived journalism program. Days later, officials had to scramble for a response after the media learned he ordered a professor on leave after speaking to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. A steadfast Sharp gave no ground several years prior when student protestors demanded the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue removed.
Yet he leaves most situations unscathed, holding his cards tight to his chest until he makes a move: In one example, when the Texas Senate attempted to end faculty tenure two years ago, Sharp’s maneuvering turned the original legislation — the passing of which would have likely devastated the System — into a bill codifying A&M’s tenure policies into state law. It was a “Sharp masterstroke that demonstrated why he is the longest-serving chancellor,” the Texas Tribune reported.
Last year, Mahomes said whoever takes the role will have “big shoes to fill.” Sharp said in a statement that Hegar will “make an outstanding chancellor for the Texas A&M System.”
“He and [his wife] Dara are devout Aggies, and I am here to help in any way I can,” Sharp said in the statement.
Once officially named chancellor, Gov. Greg Abbott can appoint a new comptroller to finish Hegar’s term, which was originally supposed to last until the next general election in 2026. After the Board put their support behind him, Mahomes adjourned the meeting at roughly 11:25 a.m. Hegar was not in attendance.
