COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- A Cuban-born woman is the only finalist recommended to the Board of Regents for the presidency of the formerly all-male Texas A&M University.
Elsa Murano, the finalist selected from 140 submissions, would be the first woman and the first person of Hispanic heritage to head the university in its 131-year history. With more than 45,000 students, officials say it is the 6th largest university in the nation.
In a statement about the selection, Board of Regents Chairman Bill Jones said, "We conducted a nationwide search to find the best candidate for the presidency of Texas A&M University, and we discovered that individual in our own backyard. Dr. Murano is a distinguished researcher and academic leader, a successful manager who has transformed agriculture across the A&M System, and a visionary with the credentials to oversee a $1.2 billion annual enterprise like Texas A&M University."
Under state law, the regents must wait 21 days before formally offering the job.
Murano, 48, who has a Ph.D. in food science and technology from Virginia Tech University, is vice chancellor of agriculture for the A&M System and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M. She has a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted December 7 to name Murano the lone finalist to succeed former president Robert Gates, who left in December to become the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Murano served as undersecretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004, overseeing 10,000 employees and an annual budget of $905 million.
``I'm ecstatic,'' Murano said after the announcement. ``I'm just in a cloud right now.''
Gov. Rick Perry, a Texas A&M alumnus, credited Murano with revitalizing the agriculture program over her three-year tenure. According to the university, the school's undergraduate enrollment has increased over the past two years, following a sharp decline before her arrival.
