Texas A&M University welcomes new president

COLLEGE STATION –The Texas A&M University system’s board of regents recently named Dr. Elsa Murano its 23rd president of Texas A&M University. She was selected as the sole finalist for the
position at the December 2007 board of regents meeting.

“In choosing Dr. Elsa Murano as the next president of Texas A&M University, the board of regents has placed its confidence in an extraordinary ublic servant with the academic, research and management credentials needed to lead a major public institution entrusted with an annual budget of more than $1 billion,” said Bill Jones, chairman of the board.
“Dr. Murano understands the Aggie culture, embodies the Aggie spirit and offers a modern vision of leadership that invites the best and brightest to serve by her side in fulfilling Texas A&M’s unlimited potential.”

Murano, 48, is both the first Hispanic American and the first woman to be named president of Texas A&M University, just as she was the first when she was previously named the vice chancellor and dean of the college of agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M in 2005. Prior to that, Murano was the first Hispanic American to serve as undersecretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a position she held from 2001-2004.

“I am grateful to live in a country that has provided so many opportunities, including the great honor to serve as president of Texas A&M University,” Murano said. “I pledge to build upon the legacy and strong
foundation established by my predecessors as we continue moving forward in establishing Texas A&M
as one of the top public academic institutions in the world. And as we aggressively pursue our academic
goals, the values and traditions that Aggies hold so dear will be marching along with us.”

Murano’s academic career spans more than a quarter century. Since 1995, she has been a professor in the Texas A&M department of animal science. From 1995-2001, she served as both the director and associate
director of the Center for Food Safety at Texas A&M. From 1990-1995, she was an assistant professor
in the department of microbiology, immunology and preventive medicine at Iowa State University. From 1984-1990, Murano served as a researcher and a teaching assistant at Virginia Tech University.

Murano earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida International University. She earned her master’s degree in anaerobic microbiology and a doctorate degree in food science and
technology from Virginia Tech University.