By Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Thursday named Christopher Maynard the sole finalist to become the next president of Texas A&M International University, following the unexpected death of the school’s former president last year.

Pablo Arenaz, who had led the 10,000-student campus in Laredo since 2016, died in early October. In November, regents appointed Juan J. Castillo, the university’s longtime finance chief, as interim president while they conducted a national search for Arenaz’s successor.

Maynard currently serves as provost at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Before that, he was associate vice provost at Sam Houston State University. Earlier in his career, he was a tenured professor of history, department chair and associate dean at the University of North Alabama.

He holds a Ph.D. in U.S. Political and Diplomatic History and a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Lee University, a private university in Tennessee. His book, “ Out of the Shadow: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War ,” was published by the Texas A&M University Press in 2008.

The board’s decision followed recommendations from Anthem Executive, an executive search firm, and Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar.

“The A&M System exists to expand opportunity and serve Texas,” Hegar said in a statement. “Dr. Maynard has spent his career doing exactly that — strengthening transfer pathways, supporting faculty excellence and aligning programs with workforce needs.”

State law requires the board to wait 21 days after naming a finalist for president before making the appointment official.

“I am deeply honored to join TAMIU’s faculty, staff, and community partners in our shared commitment to further student success,” Maynard said in a statement. “The education provided by TAMIU has the power to transform the lives of students, their families, and the entire region, and I look forward to working collaboratively with our campus and community partners as we embrace opportunities and move forward together.”

The appointment comes as the Texas A&M University System, like other public universities, adjusts to changes under Senate Bill 37, a new law that gives regents more control over curricula, hiring and faculty senates, which advise university leaders on academic matters.

On Thursday, regents adopted a policy requiring the board to review and approve general education courses every five years and to evaluate degree, minor and certificate programs with few graduates for possible consolidation or elimination to comply with SB 37.

Regents also authorized the creation of new faculty senates across the system’s 12 campuses, effective Sept. 1. The law abolishes existing senates by that date. The new faculty advisory groups will be smaller, and university presidents will have greater control over their membership and leadership. For example, the flagship’s faculty senate currently has 122 members, but the law caps the body at 60.

Regents on Thursday also approved a $6.6 billion capital plan that includes $1.93 billion in new projects over the next five years.

In addition, they finalized the University of Houston-Victoria’s transition into the Texas A&M System. On Sept. 1, the school will become Texas A&M University-Victoria. James K. Nelson Jr. was named interim president of the campus.

Regents also greenlit construction of the Aplin Center, a three-story, 211,724-square-foot facility at the flagship that will serve as a hub for experiential learning in hospitality, retail, food and nutrition sciences, which officials say will act as a “front door” for prospective students and visitors.

Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, who earned a construction science degree from the university in 1980 and went on to create the iconic Texas gas station chain, Buc-ee’s, donated $50 million to the university for the project in 2023. The regent’s action on Thursday appropriated an additional $225 million for the project. Construction starts this month and is expected to be completed in February 2028.

“This one’s going to be as popular as Beaver Nuggets,” Board Chair Robert Albritton said in a statement referring to a beloved Buc-ee’s snack.

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