Gates: Minority Recruitment an Obligation to the State

“The need for change is the expansion of the faculty; more minority

recruitment in terms of our obligation to the state of Texas; expanding our research effort and taking

it to a new, national level; having A&M play on a national stage in important arenas; and more national

recognition for the achievements of our faculty.”

Texas A&M President Robert Gates

interview with Houston Chronicle reporter Todd Ackerman, Jan. 24, 2003. I read this (Jan. 26) within

an hour after talking to a state regulator who says there’s really not much the state is empowered to

do when it comes to directing A&M’s “obligations” to diversity. Placing “minority recruitment” in

the category of “obligations to the state of Texas” is an interesting construction. There were no

follow up questions published in the interview.