Texas A&M President to Step Down in January 2014
By Josh Sanchez
Texas A&M University will be looking for a new school president next year. Dr. R. Bowen Loftin announced on Saturday that he would be stepping down as the university president effective January 13, 2014. With Loftin in charge of the school, they were able to make the move to the SEC for athletics, which resulted in a huge increase of profit and interest in the university.
“Dr. Loftin has led Texas A&M University through a tremendous period of growth and advancement, ranging from the move to the SEC to over $700 million in research to the largest freshman class in the school’s history this fall,” said Phil Adams, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, via the TAMU Times. “His service and commitment to Aggieland is appreciated and will long be remembered.”
Since taking over as president in in February 2010, Loftin has been responsible for helping the school grow to a record number of students and creating partnerships that will allow the university and students to continue to grow and bring in extra avenues to enhance their education.
Chancellor John Sharp will launch a national search for Loftin’s replacement as the university hopes to continue heading in the right direction.
“Loftin embodies the Aggie Core Values. We owe him an extreme debt of gratitude for his steadfast leadership and guidance, which has elevated Texas A&M into one of the best universities in this country,” said Sharp. “He is absolutely at the top of his game and we look forward to his continued service.”
Loftin issued a statement to address his departure and he promised to continue giving 100 percent to his students throughout the final months of his service.
“I will spend the next five months on programs and plans currently in development, such as management of the largest student body in the history of the school. In the following period, I will work with Provost Karan Watson as well as many of our deans and system agency directors toward the launch of a new institute at Texas A&M – to serve the state, the nation and the world. I will certainly miss being ‘aggieprez’ (my twitter handle), but I will still be part of this great university and will be serving on the ‘front lines’ of the academy, side-by-side with those I love the most—our students.”