Office of the President

Speeches & Reports

Interim President Loftin Discusses Plans For Texas A&M Moving Forward

June 24, 2009

To the Aggie Family:

Thanks to all of you who attended the forum this morning in Rudder Theatre (video), or who tuned in via television or streaming video. I welcomed the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about how we — the Aggie family — can move forward in a positive manner, and your questions and observations are certainly appreciated and will be considered. I thought it was a good and productive session, and I plan to hold similar gatherings in coming weeks. For those of you who were in class or otherwise had commitments that prohibited you from attending or tuning in, I take this opportunity to recap some of what I consider the key points in our discussion.

First and foremost, we must continue on our Vision 2020 path — in essence reaffirming our dedication and commitment to academic excellence. At the same time, however, we must also continue to be ever mindful of the need to ensure accessibility and affordability for our present and future students and their families. They — indeed, all the citizens of our state — deserve nothing less.

Unquestionably, these are challenging times for our state and nation. From all indications, Texas is in better financial condition than most other states, but we are certainly not untouched by the current harsh economic climate or the less than desirable predictions for the future. As you may know, Texas A&M fared relatively well in funding during the legislative session that ended last month. Even so, the economic forecast for the state coffers is dire as we look to the next legislative session in 2011. Also, there is a strong sentiment among legislators and the Board of Regents for relief in terms of ongoing tuition increases for our students and their families.

In light of this financial uncertainty, and because of our firm commitment to the citizens of the State of Texas, I have been strongly encouraged by Chancellor McKinney and the Board of Regents to step up our ongoing belt-tightening measures and be even better stewards of tuition and taxpayer dollars. The goal established by the Board of Regents is to identify $20 million in potential savings. From all indications I have received, these savings will remain at the university. But, we must embark on this effort without sacrificing Texas A&M’s academic excellence. As you can imagine, this is a daunting task — one that I do not take lightly as we move forward.

Toward that end, I first began looking inward, specifically at cost saving opportunities in the Office of the President. Already, I have identified administrative overhead cost savings of approximately $800,000 through the elimination of positions, including the executive vice president for operations and vice president for university advancement, along with other significant measures to streamline reporting structures and operations. To review the new organizational structure of the university administration, go to http://www.tamu.edu/president/execstaff/. Also, I have challenged our executive leadership team — vice presidents, deans and directors — to sharpen their pencils and seek additional creative solutions to address the projected financial challenges of the future, with the clear statement that we must not lower the quality of our programs.

Another significant opportunity for potential financial reallocations is through the previously announced plan by the Texas A&M System to explore ways to share resources among System offices and the university. Several task forces, with strong university representation, have been established to take a comprehensive look at many non-academic areas. However, there are several critical areas that will not be subject to negotiation: research compliance, safety and security, and athletic compliance. Those areas are simply too vital to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff; to our research enterprise; and our university’s overall reputation.

I encourage everyone to approach this belt-tightening initiative with an open mind and a positive spirit as we explore areas in which we can economize and become more efficient. Be assured, however, that Texas A&M’s core missions — teaching, research and service — will not be diminished in any way by this initiative. And, we will maintain and even strengthen our commitment to Vision 2020 and our new Academic Master Plan.

Most certainly, the road ahead will be rough at times, but with your help I am confident that we can maneuver it and emerge stronger than ever. We can — and will — reduce costs without jeopardizing the excellence to which we are committed in all that we do as we continue on our trajectory toward even greater preeminence. I accepted the appointment as interim president because of my love for and devotion to my alma mater as well as out of the respect and admiration that I have for you — the faculty, staff and students of our great institution. The Aggie Family is resilient and I have no doubt, that by working together and communicating in an open dialogue, we will continue to strengthen our academic mission and enhance Texas a&MUniversity now and for future generations.

Dr. R. Bowen Loftin
Interim President