A&M Board of Regents to Meet at A&M International

A historic meeting of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System will be held Jan. 23-24 at Texas A&M International University.

This is the first such meeting of the Regents on A&M International's new campus. The nine-member Board of Regents governs the A&M System. Each regent is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate.

A&M International president J. Charles Jennett said the University is looking forward to hosting the Board's meeting.

"For some Board members, this will be their first opportunity to visit our campus, and we will be looking forward to showcasing the fine results that have come in part from their support and guidance," he said.

The Board will conduct its meeting Thursday, Jan. 23 from 1-4:30 p.m. In the Great Room of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library. The Board will reconvene Friday, Jan. 24, from 9 -11:30 a.m., also in the Great. Room.

Board meetings are open to the public with the exception of items discussed during Executive Session.

The Board of Regents conducts business through six standing committees: Executive, Academic Campuses, Finance and Audit, Land and Mineral Resources, Facilities Planning and Building and Service Units.

The Board schedules six regular meetings per year, and special meetings can be called by the chairman as necessary. Standing and special committees meet as needed and report to the full Board. With few exceptions, all matters requiring Board action are first considered by the appropriate committee, which then gives a report or makes a recommendation to the Board.

Mary Nan West is chairman of the Board of Regents. A prominent South Texas rancher, West is the Board's liaison to Texas A&M International University.

Vice chairman of the Board is T. Michael O'Connor, of Victoria,who maintains interests in agribusiness and oil and gas operations in Texas and New Mexico.

Regents include:

Robert H. Allen, of Houston, a managing partner of Challenge Investment Partners of Houston.

Alison Brisco, of Houston, Vice President of Lehman Brothers.

John H. Lindsey, of Houston, owner of Lindsey Insurance Agency.

Frederick D. McClure, of Dallas, senior vice president of Public Strategies, Inc., an Austin-based public affairs consulting firm.

Donald E. Powell, of Amarillo, chairman, president and CEO of Boatmen's First National Bank.

M. Guadalupe Rangel, of Corpus Christi, a former College English teacher active in the Texas' business and political communities.

Royce E. Wisenbaker, of Tyler, president of Wisenbaker Production Co., an independent oil and gas production firm.

Gov. George Bush has announced his intention to appoint three new members of the Board of Regents to replace the expiring terms of West, Brisco and Wisenbaker. The new appointments, which will expire Feb. 1, 2003, require Senate confirmation.

Named by Bush as new members are Anne L. Armstrong of Armstrong, who serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Erle Allen Nye of Dallas, president and chief executive officers of Texas Utilities Company, Texas Utilities Fuel Company and Texas Utilities Mining Company, and Dr. Dionel E. Aviles of Houston, owner and president of Aviles Engineering Corporation.

The Texas A&M University System, officially established in 1948, is one of the largest and most renowned systems of higher education in the nation. Its 10 universities and eight agencies serve more than 85,000 students and reach 3.5 million people each year through its service mission.

A&M campuses include Prairie View A&M University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M International University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, West Texas A&M University, Baylor College of Dentistry, East Texas State University-Commerce and East Texas State University-Texarkana.

A&M agencies include the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas Animal Damage Control Service, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, Texas Engineering Extension Service, Texas Forest Service, Texas Transportation Institute and the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.

System headquarters are in College Station. The System employs 22,000 full-time faculty and staff members statewide.

For additional information, contact the A&M International University Office of Public Affairs at 326.2180, or secretary to the Board Vickie Running at 409.845.9600.

A&M International University office hours are from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu