Vice Chancellor of Engineering and Dean of the Texas A&M College of Engineering M. Katherine Banks, Ph.D., will serve as the university’s 26th president beginning June 1.
The A&M Board of Regents confirmed her position in a March 31 press release from the university System nearly three weeks after she was deemed the sole finalist in the search for the next A&M president. In addition to her position as president of the university, she will also serve as the vice chancellor of National Security Strategic Initiatives.
Board chairman Elaine Mendoza said the Board unanimously confirmed Banks for the position.
“With her decade of accomplishments evident right here on campus, Dr. Banks will be ready and able to move forward from day one,” Mendoza said in the press release. “Texas A&M is a great university and under her leadership, we are expecting it to be even greater; we are excited to see this next chapter unfold.”
System Chancellor John Sharp said her work in the College of Engineering shows her potential to improve the university as a whole.
“We have all worked with Dr. Banks for many years and we know what she has done to transform our engineering college, which this week the U.S. News & World Report ranked as the best in Texas,” Sharp said. “Dr. Banks is going to do for the university what she has already done for engineering.”
In a message from the Office of the President, A&M interim President John Junkins thanked the search committee and congratulated Banks on her new position.
“I truly believe this is the beginning of a new era of optimism and advancement for Texas A&M,” Junkins said in the message. “Dr. Banks is a renowned and respected scholar, educator and innovator. She understands the inner workings of a major research university, as well as the challenges and opportunities of being a student in a lecture hall or laboratory.”
Banks said she was honored by the Board’s appointment.
“Crucial listening sessions will begin soon with key stakeholders across campus and beyond to gather perspectives concerning the issues, challenges and opportunities that we face today,” Banks said. “I look forward to working together as we take Texas A&M University to new levels of preeminence.”