General Discussion

September 2025 class video and resignation

In early September 2025, an unnamed Texas A&M University student was videotaped presenting an argument to professor Melissa McCoul, an English professor in a children's literature class, who was teaching. The student remarked "I'm not entirely sure this is legal to be teaching because according to our president, there's only two genders and he said he would be freezing agencies' funding programs that promote gender ideology. And this also very much goes against, not only myself but a lot of people's religious beliefs". A voice, believed to be the professor, says, "If you are uncomfortable in this class you do have the right to leave". The video was posted online by Brian Harrison, a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Harrison's posts also included undated audio recordings reportedly between the student and Welsh, in which the student told Welsh the professor should be fired and Welsh responded, "Well, that's not happening."

Welsh terminated McCoul's employment and later directed Mark Zoran, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Emily Johansen, the head of the English department, to be removed with support from Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar. He stated:

I learned this afternoon that key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description. As a result, I directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions, effective immediately. Our students use the published information in the course catalog to make important decisions about the courses they take in pursuit of their degrees. If we allow different course content to be taught from what is advertised, we let our students down. When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep our word to our students and to the state of Texas.
Harmeet Dhillon, the United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice stated that the department would conduct an investigation into the situation.

Welsh submitted his resignation as president of Texas A&M University on September 18, 2025, which took in effect the following day. His final day as president was September 19, 2025.