What has surprised you about being president? Something that perhaps you didn’t expect?

I knew that being president of Texas A&M was a 24/7 job, but you don’t realize the demands, particularly on your personal time, until you are actually in the position. My husband Peter is on the faculty and serves as the director for the Institute for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation, so we actually have to schedule an appointment to see each other! The one thing that continues to surprise me and never ceases to amaze me is our students―their intellect, passion and dedication to Texas A&M. Aggies truly believe they can change the world, and I firmly believe that our students will.

How does being the first woman president of Texas A&M serve to move the institution forward?

Having a woman as president of Texas A&M is a tangible symbol that this university is about progress and opportunity. A couple of days after being named as the sole finalist for president, I received an e-mail from one of our students, a young Hispanic woman, who was having a tough time with her classes and was considering dropping out of school. She wrote that now with me – a Hispanic woman―serving as president of Texas A&M University, she knew that she could persevere and that anything was possible. Honestly, that’s a tough standard for me to live up to, but this is a tremendous opportunity for our university to reach out to young people, regardless of their backgrounds, let them know that a college degree is possible and that Texas A&M is the place for them.

Have you encountered any challenges as president because you are a woman and minority?

I would say no, simply because the values of respect, integrity and loyalty are at the core of what it means to be an Aggie. Sure, there are awkward moments every now and then (sometimes during meetings I get a “yes sir,”  which quickly is corrected to “yes ma’am!”), and there are photos of 22 former male presidents looking over my shoulder every day as I walk through the President’s Office, but nothing that I would characterize as challenges due to my gender or ethnicity.

What qualities do you look for in both your top staff and the people with whom you surround yourself?

Assembling a high-performing, experienced team that embraces the vision for Texas A&M was one of my top priorities for the first several months. As you know, I brought my core operations, governmental relations, communications and development team along with me because we understand each other and can oftentimes communicate without communicating, as I like to say. And having a fully functioning team in place on day one was important since I knew that we would not have a transition period, given that I was already on the Texas A&M campus and we needed to hit the ground running immediately. I look for people who work hard, are accountable for their actions, can communicate and work together, love Texas A&M and have a daily passion for helping this university reach its full potential.

How has your Washington, D.C., experience been helpful in your presidency?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a large, complex organization, much like Texas A&M. In my position as Under Secretary for Food Safety, I oversaw about 10,000 employees and a budget of nearly $1 billion, so it was very similar to Texas A&M in terms of size and scope. In Washington, D.C., every day is a crisis, so I learned a great deal in terms of complex decision-making, dealing with the media and various stakeholder groups, and simply getting things done in the midst of this environment. I was able to get political appointees and long-tenured USDA employees on the same team to realize a shared vision for the agency, which enabled us to reach our goal of decreasing the number of food recalls several years ahead of schedule.

Name one thing that you truly enjoy about your new job.

The opportunity to meet with our student leaders, which I do every couple of weeks during staff meetings, and once a month with just them. I also like to simply walk through the MSC and shake a few hands and give several hugs to students. That makes every minute of the hard days and long nights worthwhile.

What legacy would you like to leave at Texas A&M?

I promise to leave Texas A&M better than when I found it. Vision 2020 talks about Texas A&M becoming one of the top 10 public institutions, but I honestly think we are selling ourselves short. Why can’t we be No. 1? There is not another university in the country that has Texas A&M’s unique combination of renowned academics, core values and traditions.

What are three areas in need of most improvement at Texas A&M?

Venkatesh Shankar Ph.D. Advisor and Holder, Brandon C. Coleman Jr. '78 Chair in Marketing

A university of our size and scope has many needs, so I’ll comment on two: faculty superiority, and globalization/diversification.

Faculty Superiority

Globalization/Diversification

We need to significantly increase the number of our students who participate in an international experience during their college careers. It has become somewhat cliché that the world is getting smaller, but we must provide the experiences and education for Texas A&M students to not only participate, but excel in a global environment. About 5 percent of t.u. students participate in study abroad―Texas A&M is half that number. We owe it to our students to prepare them for the global economy.  To do otherwise is to shortchange their education and fail in our mission to prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Finally, we have made tremendous strides in increasing the diversity of our student body, but frankly, the number of underrepresented students on our campus is still low. We need to continue this commitment to diversity, while looking at new ways to plant the seeds of going to college much earlier among Hispanic and African-American students.

What can be done to achieve greater diversity at Texas A&M?

When I first got into office, I was under the assumption that Texas A&M  wasn’t doing enough to recruit Hispanic and African-American students. People always say that numbers don’t lie, so if you look at the data, our numbers of African-American and Hispanic students are frankly small as a percentage of our total student body. But then I learned the real issue is that the available pool of Hispanic and African-American high school students here in the state of Texas for us to recruit from is actually small.

In the most recent data available, there were only 6,000 Hispanic and African-American students who took the SAT or ACT and scored above the TEA criterion of 1100 or 24 on the respective exams. Given that we’re expecting about 1,650 underrepresented students as part of the Class of 2012, Texas A&M is actually attracting a large percentage of the

Emily Lamb '11 Accouting major Recipient, Conoco Phillips Foundation Excellence Award

The second issue that we face is that the percentage of underrepresented students who are accepted into Texas A&M and actually enroll―the yield―is significantly lower in comparison to other student groups. I attribute this fact to competition―many of these students can take their pick of any of the nation’s top universities, including Stanford and Harvard. We must continue to enhance our scholarship packages and coordinate all of the scholarship awarding to get these offers out to students ahead of anyone else.

Finally, we must continue to make our campus more welcoming to Hispanic and African-American students in a tangible way.

What steps are you taking to ensure continued progress and success of Vision 2020?

Foremost we have taken Vision 2020 back off the shelf and have begun putting it to use in our decision-making. The key task ahead of us will be the creation of an Academic Master Plan based on Vision 2020 for the university, which will guide all of our decisions related to faculty hires, new facilities and academic investments, among many other things. I have met with both Jon Hagler and Bob Harvey who oversaw the previous Vision 2020 Council, and we will begin taking concrete steps toward re-engaging Vision 2020 beginning this fall.

Vision 2020 must become a shared vision among our faculty, staff and students, as well as for our former students and friends. There is a misperception among the Aggie Family that if we continue on the path of becoming a top 10 public institution, we will lose everything that makes Texas A&M so special. Nothing can be further from the truth, and I promise not to let this happen. I often use the illustration that Texas A&M is a three-legged stool. One leg represents academics, the other is our core values and the final leg is our traditions. If we lose one of those legs, the stool simply falls down. I firmly believe that the unique combination of these three legs – academics, values and traditions―can vault us into the top 10, but it is going to take the personal and financial commitment of Aggies everywhere and the investment of the state of Texas to make it happen.

For years Texas A&M was an all-male institution with mandatory participation in the Corps of Cadets. Since then, the demographics, characteristics and priorities of the student body have evolved. How do you see these changes benefiting Texas A&M?

The state of Texas is changing, whether we want to accept it or not. As a land-grant institution serving the state, we have the responsibility to essentially “educate the masses,” or at least those students who have scholastic promise. This is part of our service-oriented mission at Texas A&M. We also have the responsibility to expose our students to different cultures, backgrounds and points of view. As we continue to enrich the student body at Texas A&M in terms of both international and underrepresented students, the education and experiences that we foster on our campus will better serve our graduates later in life.  We cannot forget that the Corps of Cadets are the keepers of the spirit here in Aggieland, so we must do all we can to strengthen the Corps, along with the more than 44,000 other Aggies.

I am of the opinion that the top 10 percent rule has positively impacted Texas A&M on several fronts. Top 10 percent students typically represent about 50 percent of our freshman class, a number that we project to hold true for the Class of 2012. It has been documented that Top 10 percent students always outperform their counterparts when compared in aggregate. And of all educational predictors, class rank has been proven to be a strong predictor of success in college. We believe that Texas A&M leads the state in terms of geographic diversity, with 83 percent of Texas counties having at least one student in the freshman class. I have made a commitment to have 100 percent of Texas counties represented at Texas A&M next year―a testament to our land-grant mission to serve the state.

In terms of underrepresented students, some strong correlations can be made that the Top 10 percent rule is helping, but we know it’s not hurting us. Admission for underrepresented students has increased considerably since 2003. We’re doing many things to make this happen through our Prospective Student Centers, as well as targeting high schools with large minority student populations and increasing our scholarship dollars. And finally, 25 percent of our freshman class is represented by first-generation college students, another data point in which we believe Texas A&M leads the state. First-generation college students typically include a large percentage of Hispanic and African-American students.

What changes would you make to the bill?

We project that there will be a day in the future in which the Top 10 percent rule will impact our capacity to admit other students of merit. The University of Texas believes that it has reached this point already, but for now, it is not an issue for Texas A&M. We are committed to growing our university and serving the state through Closing the Gaps.  I could see a change that may offer a limit as to the percent of our total enrollment that must be filled with top 10 percent students. Such a change would ensure that other students who have just as much potential to succeed can make be admitted into our university.

Early in your tenure you were able to keep the increase in tuition low for the ’08-’09 academic year. Will you be able to continue to hold down the cost of tuition in the future?

The eternal optimist in me hopes that we will be able to keep increases in tuition as low as possible, for the sake of our students. But the university, like everyone else around the country, is faced with rising costs related to energy, construction and overall operations. We are committed to continually sharpening our pencils to find cost savings and increase efficiencies across the campus, which is one of the reasons why we were able to hold the increase in tuition and fees for the fall semester at 4.99 percent, or $7.25 per semester credit hour. This figure is much lower than the original proposal I was given to increase it by $10 to $16. If we are to keep tuition increases as low as possible, we will need the continual help of the state so that as costs of doing business increase, our expenses will be able to be met without burdening our students and their families.

What drives these tuition increases?

The funding for tuition comes from two sources: the state and the students themselves. Whatever the state doesn’t fund through the formulas, students and their families must fill this gap. That is why we are committed to addressing cost savings and efficiencies across campus. But it also illustrates the importance of scholarships through the Texas A&M Foundation and other groups to assist students with their college expenses. As a Tier One research institution, I don’t believe that any of us expect Texas A&M to be the cheapest university in the state. Our goal should continue to be focused on being a good value, particularly in terms of the overall student experience, and Texas A&M has been recognized nationally in this area. We need to remember that a degree from Texas A&M―and that Aggie ring―is extremely valuable to students and employers alike.

The Texas A&M Foundation recently committed to a major scholarship initiative, Operation Spirit and Mind; are you in agreement with the goals set forth for this initiative? If so, why do you think it’s important at this time?

Scholarships are vitally important for any university and will play a key role at Texas A&M as we are faced with rising costs of tuition and the continuing need to attract high-performing and underrepresented students. With Dr. Davis’ tenure as interim president of the university, he has an intrinsic understanding of the importance of this upcoming scholarship campaign for Texas A&M. While our former students and friends have generously supported undergraduate education, I have challenged the Texas A&M Foundation to grow the number of our graduate fellowships. This effort will assist greatly in keeping our undergraduates at Texas A&M, and will have a tremendous impact on the overall intellectual capital of the state. We also need to work together in increasing support for study abroad experiences for our students, which is extremely important, as I mentioned earlier.

How would you feel about the United States reinstating relations with Cuba?

I am supportive of the United States reinstating relations with a free Cuba.  As we know, since Fidel Castro led a revolution that culminated in the country being led by a communist regime, Cuba has been far from free and its citizens have been subjected to one of the most oppressive dictatorships in modern history. While Raul Castro has eased some restrictions over the past several months, Cuba is far from being a free country.  In fact, we learned very recently how the government arrested several dissidents who were gathered in celebration of the 4th of July.  So, in my opinion, and I am no expert in international relations, we should take a very measured approach to relations with Cuba. We need to understand that as long as the current government continues to wantonly violate human rights, it should be very difficult for the U.S., or any country that loves freedom, to ignore that.

How could the U.S. and/or Texas A&M benefit from this?

Well, you have a university president from Cuba, for one! We have to realize that the people of Cuba are the victims under the current regime. These are doctors, lawyers, engineers, musicians and so many others who have not been able to express or prosper from their ideas. The economic impact of opening up Cuba would be tremendous, but I believe that the cultural exchange would be even greater.

Would you be in favor of a connection between the university and Cuba?

I strongly believe that the free exchange of ideas will ultimately be what breaks down the walls of oppression and injustice. We are already working with Cuba through Texas A&M’s Center for North American Studies. Such exchanges will no doubt help expose the people of Cuba to what freedom can offer. And we can’t forget that Texas A&M has a legacy of helping people and countries in need.

Is there too much importance placed on athletics in higher education?

I don’t believe so, as long as we keep the mindset that these are student-athletes and not just athletes. Athletics is a significant part of Texas A&M’s history, from the 12th Man to the Junction Boys, as well as our friendly rivalry with the school over in Austin. Sports are Texas A&M’s calling card―they give us an opportunity to showcase our great university in front of millions of people around the world who might had never known about us.

Each year, athletics also provide the opportunity for hundreds of students to attend college who would not have done so otherwise. Many of our student-athletes are the first in their families to attend college. And you might be surprised to learn that the five-year graduation rate of our student-athletes at Texas A&M is 73 percent, which is slightly higher than the overall student body.

Texas A&M is all about building champions, not only in athletics, but academically. People like to be associated with a winner―in sports, with an accomplished faculty member, or as part of a successful fundraising initiative.

What role should higher education play in society compared to its role today?

Universities are the centers for knowledge, ideas, creativity and economic growth across our country. There are some in our state who believe many components of higher education should be changed or even standardized. I’m not of the opinion that higher education is perfect, by any means, but to make fundamental changes to faculty tenure or the overall student educational experience, for example, would be detrimental not only to Texas A&M, but also to the other universities across the state. As a Tier One research university and land-, sea- and space-grant institution, Texas A&M has a unique responsibility to investigate society’s biggest challenges and then translate this knowledge to everyday life. I firmly believe that higher education should do even more for society, but the availability of resources, both human and financial, tends to be the limiting factor.

What is your view of the federal and state governments' role in higher education?

The typical viewpoint is that the federal and state governments should simply provide universities the financial resources to accomplish their mission. This is important, don’t get me wrong, but government also plays a role in accountability – in terms of ensuring that we are good stewards to the monies entrusted to us by taxpayers and we are meeting the overall needs of the state and country. I also believe that both the state and federal government should significantly invest more in research, which will provide answers to many of the energy, health and climate issues that face our planet today. Research is vitally important to the overall educational experience here at Texas A&M.

Should the federal and state government be more involved or less involved in higher education?

I am not of the opinion that federal and state government should be involved in the day-to-day operations of the university. That is my job. But in terms of financial investment and accountability, there is an opportunity to become more involved. For example, two years ago the Texas Legislature created the Competitive Knowledge Fund, which rewards universities for increasing their research expenditures. For every $10 million that Texas A&M generates in research, the state will provide another $1 million in funding. So we are incentivized to expand our research portfolio.  I would like to see this ratio enhanced even more, which will be a key initiative for us as we enter the Legislative Session in January.

Do you think the government should have any control of a university’s endowment payouts?

As long as we continue to be good stewards of the monies entrusted to us and respect the wishes of the individual donor, I would say no. There is a large misperception among elected officials and the general public, for that matter, that universities simply have all this money just sitting in the bank that could be used

to offset the rising costs of tuition. We all know that this isn’t the case.  In fact, the funds are restricted according to the wishes of the donors, and donors generally have very specific ideas for the impact of their gifts. Obviously, we need to do a better job of explaining how these endowments are created and how they are used for the benefit of faculty and students, and that they are not just sitting there, waiting for us to use without any restrictions. Also, it is incumbent upon the university to translate our needs into opportunities that donors would be willing to support.

How do you feel about the ratio of university funding provided by the state; tuition and fees; and private individuals and groups?

The old joke is that universities in Texas used to be state-funded, then state-supported and now they are just state-located. This statement is somewhat unfair, but it does illustrate that the funding of higher education in the state is evolving. The easy thing is to blame the Texas Legislature for underfunding higher education, which in fact, nothing can be further from the truth. We should be extremely thankful that the state of Texas is not in a situation such as Florida, where universities are dealing with a large budget shortfall through faculty reductions, enrollment decreases and reduced academic programs. If you look throughout history, Texas has been extremely supportive of higher education, but we need to address a more sustainable funding model and enhance the funding of the state’s two flagship universities. With that said, I am not sure if there is a “right” percentage of funding that should come from the state, students and private individuals. But I do know that we cannot continue to put the entire increasing financial burden on our students and families, or on our former students and friends of the university.

Why is private funding playing a key role in support for public institutions?

Private funding is the vehicle that today enables public institutions to attract and retain renowned faculty and highly competitive students, as well as address many of the infrastructure needs that we have on our campuses. Funding for these three areas typically is not coming from the state or federal government at this day and age. But we need to expand our definition of private funding to include corporations, foundations and other similar organizations, which is an area that Texas A&M has historically excelled. Sponsored research is a tremendous growth area for Texas A&M, as evidenced by our bioenergy work across the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

New challenges face our food supply today, including outbreaks of E. coli in spinach and food imported from various countries around the world. These issues have spawned talks of new approaches to produce food safety.  How is Texas A&M involved in these endeavors and what research is assisting in the newly proposed regulations?

Texas A&M has long been at the forefront of food safety, even prior to my arrival on campus in 1995. Last fall we hosted a national conference on import safety at the request of the USDA and FDA, which I thought validated Texas A&M’s stature and expertise in this area. What makes Texas A&M well-regarded in food safety is our demonstrated interaction and collaboration of researchers, producers, industry and consumers. It takes all of these groups working together to ensure the safety of our country’s food supply. Our Center of Food Safety continues to be involved in the discussion of new regulations, and our researchers across the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences continue to inject science into these discussions so that decisions can be based on fact and not political or emotional appeal.

What inspires and drives you?

My mother has always been an inspiration for me. Here she was, raising four kids as a single mom, working three jobs, all in pursuit of the American Dream. Every day she encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, always asking “Why not you?” I guess that I’m still listening to her today. Why can’t I be president of Texas A&M University? Why can’t I help lead Texas A&M to become the No. 1 public institution in the country? These goals are lofty and may make some uncomfortable, but with the help of the Aggie family, I am up for the challenge.

Outside of work, what is your passion?

At night, I like to gaze at the stars. I’m somewhat of an amateur astronomer, which is why George Mitchell and I get along so well. If you haven’t heard, he is leading an effort to build the Giant Magellan Telescope down in Chile, which he claims will unlock the hidden mysteries of the universe. I told him that I want to be the first person sitting behind the GMT as part of Texas A&M’s participation in the project.

What kind of car do you drive?

I have a Ford Thunderbird – maroon, of course. It has a convertible top and a V8 engine, so I advise you to stay out of my way (just kidding, officer!).

What is your favorite childhood memory or pastime?

One of my favorite childhood memories was my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich at age 14. Keep in mind that I had left Cuba at age 2, and had lived throughout Latin America until moving to Miami. I had never tasted anything so good!

What is your favorite food?

As an expert in food safety, this may surprise you, but my favorite food is hot dogs and cheeseburgers. In fact, you can’t beat the hot dogs and burgers that they serve at Reed Arena during basketball games.

What is your favorite Aggie tradition and why?

My favorite tradition has to be Silver Taps. To stand in front of the Academic Building in complete darkness and then see hundreds of students walking up from every direction to honor a fellow Aggie, whom they may have never met, moves me deeply. Silver Taps embodies everything that Texas A&M is about, and we must do everything we can to protect this special tradition.

What book are you reading?

“The Game of My Life,” which was recently given to me by the author, Brent Zwerneman, who covers Texas A&M for the San Antonio Express-News, and “A Call to Die” by David Nasser. One of my favorite sections in Nasser’s book talks about the many paradoxes that Jesus taught: to be filled you must hunger and thirst, to become greater you must become less, and the hardest of all – to live you must “die” to self.  It is a helpful concept because I have certainly learned that leaders, including presidents of universities, must lead through selfless acts, not for personal ambition but always for the good of the institution. That is what I strive to do.