On the day he announces his retirement, Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp reaffirms his love for the RGV

WESLACO, Texas – On the day he announced his retirement as chancellor of Texas A&M University System – effective a year from now – John Sharp was happy to recall his love for South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

In an audio interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Sharp recalled that back when he was running for office and he was in a bad mood, his secretary would change his schedule for the day and send him to South Texas.

Asked why South Texas is so special for him, Sharp, who was born and raised in Victoria, said: “I don’t know what it is about the Valley and South Texas. But you’re exactly right. I’ll tell you this story that nobody knows except my secretary at the time. But when I was running for office, and I’ve had been in a bad mood or whatever it is… you know, I’d be pissed off at the world or whatever, my secretary would automatically cancel whatever I had on the rest of my agenda and send me to South Texas. I’d go down to McAllen or Weslaco or Brownsville or go to Laredo… and it’s just the warmth of the people in South Texas that just makes me love the place.”

Sharp said the region reminds him of his days in elementary school.

“It’s a special place. It reminds me of the elementary school I grew up in. Lots of, you know, majority Hispanic students and stuff like that. Just good folks that were always warm to be around. I don’t know how to explain it. I just love the place and I love people down there and I wanted to do something in that neck of the woods and I’m proud we did.”

Among the things he has done for the Valley are open a higher education campus in McAllen, start a workforce training program at the Port of Brownsville, start the Healthy South Texas Initiative, continue to support the Promotoras program in colonias along the border, and appoint Manny Vela as chief operating officer of the McAllen facility.

Asked about the Healthy South Texas program, Sharp said he knew from the very beginning it would make a positive impact.

“So, the first meeting we had, if you remember, we had a meeting in a Brownsville civic center. And we had it in a little room. We put out invitations but not too many. I mean, we just ran some stuff in the in the papers and a radio station saying, hey, if you want to know if you’re pregnant, or you’re going to be pregnant, and you want to know how to take care of your unborn child come here. Doctors and folks are going to be here to talk to you,” Sharp said.

“And Lord Have Mercy. I think it started at 9 or something and at 7 o’clock in the morning there must have been 500 people, maybe 1,000 in line waiting to get in. I’m going Holy crap. There were thousands of people that came in there and that’s when I knew that there was a need for Healthy South Texas.”

Asked about its impact, Sharp said it is hard to measure but he knows it connects with many people.

“I think that it’s made a big difference with a lot of people. People that have diabetes, to prevent diabetes. And to educate folks. I mean, we have a lot of people that don’t have personal physicians. And so, they depend on the emergency room and it’s only when somebody gets sick… so they don’t get that kind of advice.”

Ask for his appointment of Vela as COO of the McAllen campus, Sharp said:

“We were getting lucky enough to get Manny into the institution. That was one of the really great things that happened because he’s so well liked, so well respected, and just has this huge desire to serve the public.”

Sharp said Vela is “not only interested in expanding the McAllen program to be all it can be but to look at the entire Rio Grande Valley. From the workforce program, what we’re doing down in in Brownsville, the things we’re doing with the community college (STC), and Healthy South Texas… I mean, he’s a treasure.”

Asked if Texas A&M will continue to expand its footprint in the RGV, Sharp said: “It will if I have anything to do with it.”

He added: “I have always thought that the whole future of Texas is tied to the Rio Grande Valley because when people come into Texas and they want to put, you know, a business here, whether it’s very large or very small… if it’s very large they ask two questions. One question is how many 18 to 24-year-olds have you got here. The second question is, how well educated are they. We don’t have anything to do with the first question. That has to do with the enthusiasm of the families. But we hope we can make an impact on the second one. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Editor’s Note: Here is Chancellor’s letter announcing his retirement:

Office of the Chancellor

July 1, 2024

Colleagues and friends,

I notified the Board of Regents several weeks ago that this coming year will be my final year as Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. My retirement will be effective June 30, 2025.

By then, I will have served almost 14 years in this position. Leading this grand enterprise has been one of the great privileges of my life, a challenge, and an honor.

I feel a deep sense of gratitude to all of you who have shown confidence in me and contributed to our collective endeavor. Together we have lifted the Texas A&M System to historic heights.

I thank the 21 regents who I have faithfully served, and I thank those past and present who have served with me: the presidents of 11 universities, the CEOs of eight state agencies, the members of my executive committee; our students, faculty, and staff.

I thank our supporters at the Chancellor’s Century Council and in the Texas Legislature; Governors Greg Abbott and Rick Perry; Lt. Governors Dan Patrick and David Dewhurst; Texas Speakers Joe Straus, Dennis Bonnen, and Dade Phelan; and members of the Texas Congressional delegation.

With your assistance, we have become one of the genuinely great university systems in the world.

We have increased enrollment more than 25 percent during a time when too many people are questioning the value of a college education. We added a law school that has risen faster in the national rankings than any other in history. We consolidated the state’s disaster response and recovery by adding the Texas Division of Emergency Management as our 8th state agency.

We increased our National Academy memberships five-fold, and our research expenditures now exceed $1 billion a year. And the past 13 years have seen a historic building boom with $11.4 billion for 306 projects.

Texas A&M University, in particular, has become the school of choice, with one of the biggest student enrollments in the nation. Texas A&M is no longer anybody’s little brother.

Despite the remarkable things we have accomplished, I am proudest of the fact that our culture, our traditions, and the patriotic fervor of our students remain intact. We reflect the great traditions and culture of the state of Texas.

Best of all, the next 12 months have the potential to be the most remarkable year of all. The System is a movable feast of innovation at Texas A&M-RELLIS, the new Fort Worth campus, the McAllen Teaching Center, the Port in Brownsville, the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and elsewhere.

Stay tuned. There is more innovation in the works as we continuously strive to serve Texas and the nation.

Whatever I have accomplished, I owe much to the love of my family and friends. I thank you for the outpouring of support when Charlotte passed in 2020. I also thank you for extending your friendship to Diana, who has been steadfast in her support of me and the Texas A&M System.

While the road goes on forever and the party never ends, soon it will be time for this Chancellor to disappear around the bend. I will move to Austin to spend more time with my daughter Victoria, son Spencer, and Diana’s and my grandchildren.

While I am retiring from this job, I will find ways to continue to serve the great state I love.

I will never retire from work, and I look forward to telling you next year about the next phase of Diana’s and my life work. One thing is for certain, I will never be too busy or too old to help Texas A&M and the A&M System.

I have been blessed with more years as Chancellor than I had imagined back in 2011. I feel like, together, we have accomplished remarkable things and built momentum for future generations.

We are blessed to have our best set of university presidents and agency CEOs ever.

We are blessed to have a Board of Regents committed to thoughtfully choosing our next chancellor, and I offer them my steadfast support.

As always, I thank you for your support.

John Sharp

Chancellor

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