Commentary: On Political Interference and Discrimination at Texas A&M

July 19, 2023 1 min read

Jennifer Ruth
Academe Blog

Excerpt: [Professor Kathleen] McElroy is a veteran journalist, with two decades of experience at the New York Times covering obituaries, sports, and other topics before she left to get a PhD and then join UT–Austin’s journalism program, soon serving a term as its director. So when Texas A&M announced that they were recruiting McElroy to relaunch their long-dormant journalism program, they did so with understandable fanfare.

But this is Texas and McElroy is a Black woman who believes broadly in the value of diversity. These factors do not undermine her fitness to run a journalism program, of course, and some might even believe they enhance her fitness, but these factors were, nonetheless, apparently enough to tank the appointment.

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