Could Texas A&M chancellor/president be one person?
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In a video on the TAMU System Web site ("Notes from Dr. Mike"), McKinney addresses the System budget. The chancellor says it has always been the goal of the System and its member universities to "take care of the people first" - including students, faculty and those charged with running the System and its universities. He notes that 65 percent of the budget is spent on personnel and personnel-related costs. He also said that because of the current economic condition of the state and thus the System and its universities, "we may have to double up on some jobs," adding that more work may be put on each employee.
The proposal is one of a few regents and faculty have discussed regarding what Murano refers to in her e-mail as "merging certain functions of the flagship institution into the A&M System Offices" as one approach to realizing cost efficiencies.
Davis said the board has not issued any formal proposal regarding the decision and added System regents are not speaking to the issue.
TAMU Regents Chairman Morris Foster told the Bryan-College Station Eagle that regents did not have any information "to expand on what has already been said."
"The merger is something that's been talked about for years, but (for now) there is no agenda on the table," Davis said. "There's no resolution, no proposal."
Allison Castle, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office, said Gov. Rick Perry, an A&M graduate who appoints the 11-school System's board of regents, had not issued an opinion or statement on the matter.
"We've not seen any such proposal," Castle said.
Murano said she continues to receive "a diversity of perspectives from the campus community on this concept.
"I plan to provide these to the Regents and the Chancellor very soon," she said in the e-mail.
The University of Houston implemented a president-chancellor merger in 1997, according to UH Media Relations Director Richard Bonnin. The move proved to be a feasible one.
"There have been no complaints that I'm aware of," Bonnin said. "Cleary it saves on administration costs."
In 2008, Murano became the first woman and first Hispanic-American to head Texas' oldest higher education public institution, where she has also served as vice chancellor and dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Whatever the outcome of the talks, Murano maintains that keeping communication flowing is paramount to the A&M System's agenda.
"On issues of this magnitude, we all agree that an open dialogue is critical," she said in the e-mail.
