Part 5: The Role of the Flagship

Can you talk to us about the role of the flagship institution within the A&M system and, more specifically, about the role of the Texas A&M University president in providing leadership within the system, as well as for Texas A&M University?

Transcript

Kathryn Greenwade ’88, Vice President, The Association of Former Students: Dr. Box, I think our next question is one that is best addressed from your perspective. Can you talk to us about the role of the flagship institution within the A&M system and, more specifically, about the role of the Texas A&M University president in providing leadership within the system, as well as for Texas A&M University?


Dr. Richard Box ’61, Chairman, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents: Well, certainly, Texas A&M University-College Station, the flagship university, is a very important part of higher education in Texas and in the nation, I dare say, and it’s very important, has a very important role in the System and I want to compliment Dr. Loftin for his role as president. And I’ll have to have a little disclaimer as I say this because I was the chairman of the advisory committee that selected him, so I’m very partial to my selection here, but I do think that he and Karin [Loftin's wife, Dr. Karin Loftin]--I have to include Karin in this--have done a marvelous job with the faculty, the students, and the alums in their effort, but also, in Dr. Loftin’s role as CEO of A&M-College Station, with the other CEOs in the system, he’s provided leadership and he’s done extremely well and we look forward to having bigger and better things out of him. The System has benefited greatly.


Dr. R. Bowen Loftin ’71, President, Texas A&M University: Let me react briefly to one thing here that might be interesting for the audience. In my earlier role as vice president of Texas A&M and CEO of the Galveston campus, I was counted among the system’s CEOs. For the four years I was in Galveston, if you go back to my appointment to that role in May of 2005, I am now the third most senior president among the 11 around here, because we have had a big change over the last several years through retirements, in terms of the presidencies of the various regional universities in the system. And so I’ve had the pleasure of being able to really get to know very well all of my fellow presidents there. I think we work together effectively; none of us feel like we’re better than the other, we’re just different, and we contribute together in terms of problem solving, in terms of commiseration, we all have some of the same problems. It’s good to be able to talk to people who have common issues arising, and feel like you’re not by yourself sometimes. So we’re very collegial, I think, and I’m very pleased with the quality of presidents that the board has selected over the past several years.