President Bush plans to nominate Robert M. Gates, president of Texas A&M University at College Station, as the next secretary of defense, succeeding Donald H. Rumsfeld, who announced his resignation today in the wake of Democratic victories in Tuesday’s elections that are widely seen as a repudiation of the American role in the Iraq war.
Mr. Gates, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was named president of Texas A&M in 2002. As president Mr. Gates took a strong stand against affirmative action, asserting in 2003 that the university would not use race as a factor in admissions even though the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that it could. Military leaders had been among the authors of briefs filed with the court in support of affirmative action.
Texas A&M later ended legacy admissions, eliminating preferences for the relatives of alumni in order to assure “consistency” in its admissions practices.
If Mr. Gates is confirmed, as expected, by the U.S. Senate and takes office, he would take a sharp pay cut. In the 2005-6 academic year at A&M, his total compensation amounted to $525,000, according the latest analysis of executive compensation by The Chronicle. As secretary of defense, he would make $183,500.
