Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp announced on July 1, 2024, that he will be retiring from The Texas A&M University System on June 30, 2025. When his tenure is complete Chancellor Sharp will have served The A&M System for nearly 14 years. In an email to System employees Chancellor Sharp thanked The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, elected officials, and the faculty, staff, and students across the Texas A&M University System for their unwavering support during his time as Chancellor. As Chancellor of The System Sharp oversaw 11 universities, eight state agencies, Texas A&M-Fort Worth and Texas A&M-RELLIS. The System has a budget of $7.3 billion and serves more than 157,000 students. System-wide research and development expenditures top $1 billion.
“Texas A&M University-Texarkana is eternally grateful for the support shown to the university by John Sharp during his time as the Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System,” said Texas A&M University-Texarkana President Dr. Ross Alexander. “His prioritization of A&M-Texarkana has led directly to the growth and success of this university over the past 13 years as we have expanded both physically and academically. Generations of A&M-Texarkana students will benefit from his unwavering advocacy,” Alexander added. “On a personal note, I am especially thankful for the kindness and encouragement Chancellor Sharp has given to Lilia and me as we transitioned into our new role at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.”
The impact of Sharp’s time in the Chancellor’s office on Texas A&M University-Texarkana can be easily recognized with a stroll through the university’s campus near Bringle Lake. The university’s Lois & Cary Patterson Student Center (2018) and Building for Academic and Student Services (2019) were both constructed under the leadership of Chancellor Sharp. His visible impact on the university will continue to grow in the coming years, with construction of the new $45 million Business, Engineering, and Technology building slated to begin in July 2024 and the Red River Credit Union Athletics Complex expected to break ground in late 2024 as well.
While it might be simple enough to calculate Chancellor Sharp’s impact in capital campus projects (nearing $100 million), his leadership has helped transform Texas A&M University-Texarkana into a highly respected regional university offering an exceptional academic experience with degrees that are in high demand.
In the letter announcing his retirement Sharp says that he and his wife, Diana, will move to Austin to spend more time around their children and grandchildren. “While I am retiring from this job,” Sharp said, “I will find ways to continue to serve the great state I love.” “One thing is for certain,” he added. “I will bever be too busy or too old to help Texas A&M and the Texas A&M System.”
Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Chairman Bill Mahomes said that the Board will conduct a national search in the coming months to name Sharp’s successor. “It’s an understatement to say we have giant boots to fill,” said Mahomes, a regent since 2015. “John Sharp is an Aggie icon – bigger than life – and we all are the beneficiaries of his bold leadership. He has made the System smarter, more innovative, and more responsive to the needs of Texans in every corner of the state.”
###
About Texas A&M University-Texarkana:
As a member of The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M University-Texarkana is a comprehensive regional university that provides students with academically challenging, engaging and rewarding educational experiences through quality teaching, scholarship, student support services, co-curricular programming, research, and service.
