PVAMU Alumni Association Responds to Sudden Resignation of President Dr. Ruth Simmons

HOUSTON – The president of Prairie View A&M University announced her early resignation last week, prompting several organizations from the university system to react.

SEE ALSO: Ruth Simmons steps down as President of Prairie View A&M University

More recently, the president of the PVAMU National Alumni Association said that its members are deeply disappointed by this decision, especially by the response of Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp.

PVAMU, which is historically a black college/university, is part of the larger Texas A&M system.

President Dr. Ruth J. Simmons was due to retire in June 2023.

Just months before her resignation, Simmons began hiring department heads, which Sharpe says is against policy, sources say.

“When presidents of the Texas A&M University system announce they are leaving, they may not hire senior staff or deans except on a temporary basis so that the new president can choose the leadership team he or she will serve with during his or her term. This ten year policy applies to all of our presidents‚ Sharpe’s letter read. “I informed Dr. Simmons that we would not make exceptions to this policy, and she decided to retire. I am sorry she chose this path, but I am forever grateful for her service at Prairie View A&M and look forward to more in the future.”

Subsequently, the PVAMU alumni association released a letter stating that they only cared about the treatment of their presidents, despite recent controversy over new hires.

They believe that Simmons should be “praised” for her “stellar contribution” to the university and say “the Texas A&M system has received very little.”

“While it seems that her early departure may have been caused by a dispute over the scope of President Simmons’s powers in her last months in office, this is not an issue that matters to most alumni and students,” PVAMU Alumni Association President. Mark Falls Sr. wrote. “We are concerned about the treatment of our President and whether the actions taken by the Texas A&M Chancellor and the Board of Trustees serve the interests of our university, faculty, and students.”

Sharp concluded his memo by stating that Dr. Tomikia LeGrande would take over as President Simmons on June 1.

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