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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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Texas A&M University has announced that its president, retired Air Force General Mark A. Welsh III, is to resign on Friday following controversy over his handling of the dispute involving professor Melissa McCoul, who was fired by the university following a viral clip in which a student accused her of illegally teaching "gender ideology."
Why It Matters
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order saying the federal government recognized only two genders, male and female. The order also required publicly funded bodies to ensure people use single-sex spaces corresponding with their designated sex.
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The Trump administration has since initiated a broader crackdown targeting what it calls "gender ideology." Federal agencies have been ordered to withhold funding from organizations that allow trans women and girls to participate in female sports, and the administration froze $175 million for the University of Pennsylvania after it refused to comply.
What To Know
On Thursday, Texas A&M Chancellor Glenn Hegar released a statement saying Welsh would resign on Friday.
Hegar said: "President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with selfless dedication. We are grateful for his service and contributions. At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead."
The announcement follows Texas A&M's firing of McCoul, a children's literature specialist, on September 9 after a video of a student confronting her over allegedly teaching "gender ideology and transgenderism" went viral on social media.
In a statement provided to Newsweek, Amanda Reichek, McCoul's attorney, said her notice of termination alleged that "she was 'instructed on numerous occasions to change the course content to align with the catalog description and the course description that was originally submitted and approved'" but had failed to do so.
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Reichek challenged this account, saying, "Professor McCoul's course content was entirely consistent with the catalog and course description, and she was never instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form." Instead she alleged that McCoul had been "fired in derogation of her constitutional rights and the academic freedom" and was appealing her termination and considering legal action.
McCoul's firing took place after a video went viral over the summer of a student suggesting that her teaching "gender ideology" had been illegal.
In the video, the student said: "I just had a question because I'm not entirely sure this is legal to be teaching because according to our president, there's only two genders, and he said that he would be freezing agencies' funding programs that promote gender ideology.
"And this also very much goes against not only myself but also a lot of people's religious beliefs, and so I am not going to participate in this because it's not legal, and I don't want to promote something that is against our president's laws as well as against my religious beliefs."
McCoul replied that her teaching was legal and said the student had the right to leave the class if offended. Welsh came under fire from Texas Republicans for not firing McCoul earlier.
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What People Are Saying
In a statement provided to Newsweek, Mark A. Welsh III said: "When I was first appointed as president of Texas A&M University, I told then Chancellor John Sharp and our Board of Regents that I would serve as well as I possibly could until it was time for someone else to take over.
"Over the past few days, it's become clear that now is that time. On many occasions, I've told people that serving as president of this great university for even a minute is an incredible privilege. Doing it for two years has been a remarkable gift."
The X account @DisavowTrump20, which has 103,000 followers, wrote on Thursday: "NEW: Texas Republicans have forced Texas A&M President Mark Welsh to resign for standing up for free speech of his university's professors. Welsh is a retired Four-Star Navy General with 40 years of service."
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick wrote on X last week: "As more information is made known, it is clear that Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh did not handle the recent situation concerning a student and a professor who was fired yesterday as he should have.
"His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student's concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable. This is not the first instance of a lack of confidence in President Welsh's leadership."
What Happens Next
McCoul has announced that she is appealing her dismissal and considering further legal action.
Update 9/19/25, 9:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a photograph of Mark A. Welsh III.
Update 9/20/25, 3:20 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Mark A. Welsh III.
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