The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recently designated 12 Texas A&M System faculty members and seven agency service, extension or research professionals as Regents Professors and Regents Fellows for 2020-2021.
One of the 12 faculty members is Dr. Fidel Hernández, Texas A&M University-Kingsville professor in the Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Endowed Professor in Quail Research with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.
“Being honored as a Regents Professor is humbling and truly an honor that I sincerely appreciate,” he said. “I am thankful that Texas A&M-Kingsville has afforded me this rich opportunity to do those things that I cherish—teaching, research, and mentoring students.”
Hernandez was appointed to the faculty at A&M-Kingsville in 1999. He received his Ph.D. in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University-College Station and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
“Texas A&M-Kingsville has a special place in my heart. It is where I began my career as a professional upon graduation with my Ph.D. and where I have received so many wonderful opportunities and experiences,” Hernandez said. “When I first arrived, my plans were to work for five to seven years, get some experience and then move on to other opportunities. Other opportunities came, but they didn’t compare to the wonderful work environment I had here.”
“The people are humble, friendly, and appreciative, and the students, who generally are from small communities or rural locations in southern Texas, eager to learn,” he said. “Coming from a similar background, I often see myself in them and share my life experiences through the classroom and my research.”
The Board of Regents established the Regents Professor Awards program in 1996 and the Regents Fellow Service Awards program in 1998 to recognize employees who have made extraordinary contributions to their university or agency, as well as to the people of Texas.
The selection process for the awards begins with a call for nominations from the chancellor. Final nominations are put forth to the chief executive officer of each respective entity. They are then subject to a system-level review consisting of academic vice chancellors and past recipients of the awards. Finally, nominations are forwarded to the chancellor and the board for final approval.
To date, 280 Texas A&M system faculty members have been recognized with the Regents Professor Award and 164 agency professionals have received the Regents Fellow Service Award.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $9.6 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $1 billion in 2018 and helped drive the state’s economy.