West Texas A&M University will have a familiar face leading the school this fall.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has selected Dr. Neil Terry, WT's executive vice president and provost, to serve as interim president after President Walter V. Wendler retires Sept. 1.
Terry has spent nearly three decades at WT, serving as a professor, dean and, most recently, the university's chief academic officer. He will take over as the university begins the search for its next permanent president.
"Neil Terry gives West Texas A&M University a steady hand on the reins at an important moment," Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Chairman Robert L. Albritton said. "He knows WT, he knows the Panhandle and he understands what this university means to the students, families and communities it serves. The Board appreciates his willingness to lead during this transition as we conduct a national search for the university's next president."
Terry joined WT in 1997 as an assistant professor of economics. He later served as dean of the College of Business from 2006 to 2020 before being named executive vice president and provost.
Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar said Terry's years of experience at WT make him the right person to lead the university during the transition.
"Neil Terry has earned the trust of West Texas A&M University through years of serious, steady work on behalf of its students, faculty and academic mission," Hegar said. "He has helped shape WT from the classroom, the College of Business and the provost's office, and he understands both the daily work of running a university and the long-term responsibility of serving this region. I am grateful he is willing to step into this role and keep the university moving forward while the national search continues."
Terry holds bachelor's degree in economics from California State University, Sacramento, and earned both his master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Texas Tech University. He also completed Harvard University's Management Development Program for higher education leadership.
He steps into the interim role as West Texas A&M continues working through several high-profile controversies that marked the final years of Wendler's presidency. His appointment gives the university an experienced administrator already familiar with its faculty, students and day-to-day operations while the Texas A&M University System looks for its next leader.
According to university officials, Terry does not plan to apply for the permanent presidency.
