Texas A&M University agreed to pay a prominent Black professor $1 million in a settlement over her failed hiring that led to the abrupt resignation of the university’s president last month.
(Bloomberg) — Texas A&M University agreed to pay a prominent Black professor $1 million in a settlement over her failed hiring that led to the abrupt resignation of the university’s president last month.
The school released an internal report Thursday, conducted by its general counsel’s office, about the mishandled hiring of Kathleen McElroy. The school acknowledged that “mistakes were made during the hiring process” and apologized to the educator, according to a statement.
Texas A&M initially sought McElroy to revive its journalism program but later became concerned because she is a proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion. The state’s Republican-led legislature eliminated public universities’ offices of DEI this year amid mounting conservative backlash to the programs. School officials changed the terms of the job offer, which McElroy rejected.
Read more: Texas A&M president quits after furor over professor hiring
McElroy, a 1981 graduate of the school, will remain at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is a tenured faculty member. In a joint statement with Texas A&M, she said hoped the resolution will enforce A&M’s allegiance to excellence in higher education and its commitment to academic freedom and journalism.
“I will never forget that Aggies — students, faculty members, former students and staff — voiced support for me from many sectors,” she said.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.