On April 6, hundreds of Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences faculty, staff, students and donors bore witness to history — the inaugural State of the College address, delivered by Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr. José Luis Bermúdez before a packed house in the Memorial Student Center’s Bethancourt Ballroom.
Bermúdez, Professor of Philosophy and Samuel Rhea Gammon Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M, cast his vision for Arts and Sciences as one forged in continuous academic innovation, an expanded research footprint, and new degree programs and partnerships aimed at creating “a core of consistent excellence at the heart of Texas A&M.”
Citing the magnitude and scale involved in the new college’s creation and its progress in its first year in combination with the significant investment and opportunities on the near horizon, Bermúdez characterized Arts and Sciences as well positioned to make bold investments capable of catapulting the university into the nation’s elite.
"In 10 years’ time, Texas A&M will be recognized as the preeminent university in Texas and a worthy equal to the very best universities in the nation and in the world," Bermúdez said. "The College of Arts and Sciences was created to lead the charge to take us there.”
Bermúdez described the college as the home of pure discovery and basic knowledge creation, noting that the university’s research enterprise rests upon the foundation Arts and Sciences provides as a destination for world-leading researchers, teachers, prospective students and staff. He further defined the college as a source of strength and “a standard-bearer for the values of unfettered inquiry and courageous investigation” and encouraged his colleagues to embrace their unprecedented opportunity to set the agenda in research, scholarship and the curriculum.
“I see a College of Arts and Sciences that is a powerful voice on the national and international stage taking the lead on tackling the great challenges that will define our collective future — challenges of energy transition, climate resilience, political dysfunction, health disparities and social justice,” Bermúdez said. “[We are] a hub for collaboration within Texas A&M, of course, but also as an equal partner with the top universities in the nation and world — with the national labs in this country and with their equivalents overseas."
In emphasizing opportunity over challenge, Bermúdez also acknowledged the importance of investing in the faculty, staff and students who have brought the college to where it is today. He then outlined related plans for increases to the minimum salary for graduate and postdoctoral students as well as academic professional track faculty. In addition, he unveiled a foundational hiring program designed to recruit more than 100 additional tenured or tenure-track faculty during the next two years, citing the importance of philanthropy in achieving the latter goal.
“We need tools to recruit new faculty and to fight off attempts from other universities to steal our stars away,” Bermúdez said. “The most powerful tools are endowed positions — chairs, professorships and faculty fellowships. The value of an endowed position is not purely transactional. It's not just about the revenue; it's about the prestige that comes with holding a named position at a major research university — one of the highest honors that an academic can receive.”
In closing, Bermudez reminded his colleagues to reflect on the vast potential inherit in being a part of Arts and Sciences at the heart of one of the nation’s largest public universities.
“Higher education has the power to change lives, families and communities," Bermúdez said. "We have a great opportunity, but also a great responsibility."
Watch the Zoom recording, read the full transcript and see related coverage from The Bryan-College Station Eagle, KBTX-TV and The Battalion.