Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar named sole finalist for Texas A&M University System Chancellor role

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, Texas (KBTX) - The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar as the sole finalist for chancellor in a unanimous vote Friday.

The decision came around eight months after Chancellor John Sharp announced his retirement in June 2025.

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Sharp is the longest-serving chancellor with 14 years at the helm of the university system.

Hegar graduated from Texas A&M University in 1993 before serving as an elected official in both the Texas House and Senate.

He was first elected as comptroller in 2014. Two years remain in his current four-year term.

The comptroller affects virtually every resident of the state by overseeing tax collection, purchasing, and administering various financial programs.

Bill Mahomes, Chairman of the Board of Regents, said in a statement their choice in Hegar will ‘usher in the next era of excellence at the Texas A&M University System.’

Texas A&M System Regents announce lone finalist for chancellor

Read the Board of Regents' full statement below.

Hegar isn’t the only Texas Comptroller to take on the chancellor job. Sharp held the office for two terms in the 1990s.

According to former Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Phil Shakelford, that kind of government knowledge will make Hegar an effective chancellor.

“Texas politicians make excellent chancellors of the Texas A&M University System, and, of course, other university leadership posts,” Shakelford explained. “He has immense knowledge of funding mechanism across the state of Texas and immense knowledge of the budget. He’s presided over significant budget surpluses over the last few legislative sessions.”

Hegar spoke with KBTX in January about the university system’s economic impact in the Brazos Valley, which he said contributes an economic output of more than $8 billion. He was the keynote speaker at the chamber’s annual Economic Outlook Conference.

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The Texas A&M University System oversees 11 universities, eight state agencies and the RELLIS campus.

On the system’s reach in the state, Hegar said, “There’s higher education institutions across the state. There are also many state agencies that make up the Texas A&M System that has a footprint in almost every single county- every county across the state of Texas.“

When asked about the chancellor job, Hegar reflected on his Aggie roots.

“I love the A&M System,” boasted Hegar. “My wife is a graduate. I got my oldest daughter that’s in the system right now. A&M contributes a lot. It goes through my veins, just like everyone else.”

Meanwhile, Shackelford is looking ahead to future partnership opportunities between the Chamber and the A&M System.

“When they bring meaningful resources to town, that turns our local economy and creates an atmosphere that’s friendly to business. That’s an atmosphere that we are seeking. That’s an atmosphere we hope to maintain,” he added.

State law requires a 21-day ‘comment period’ before Hegar can be officially hired as chancellor.