Jim Nelson greets the crowd Thursday, Sept. 4, during the Jag Fest event held in downtown Victoria to celebrate the beginning of the academic year and the university’s transition into Texas A&M University-Victoria. Nelson was appointed as the university’s interim president by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. He will serve in the post and guide the university through the transition process until a permanent president is chosen by the Texas A&M System.

When it comes to leadership, Jim Nelson believes in rolling up his sleeves and leading by example.

Nelson, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for The Texas A&M University System, was recently appointed the interim president for Texas A&M University-Victoria, formerly known as the University of Houston-Victoria. He will remain the interim president through the fall semester as the Texas A&M System searches for a permanent president for the university.

“I’m excited for the opportunities that I see in so many areas of the university and the community it serves,” Nelson said. “I’ve seen so much enthusiasm about the future of the university and how it will impact the region. I’m looking forward to partnering with area leaders to chart a path forward as A&M-Victoria finds its place within the Texas A&M System.”

Nelson has a long history of leadership in higher education. However, he started his career as a civil engineer. He received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Dayton in 1974, followed by Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in civil engineering from the University of Houston. He has worked as a design engineer and has taught as a lecturer at the University of Houston and Texas A&M University at Galveston before joining the engineering faculty at Texas A&M University, then Clemson University in 1989. At Clemson, he became program director and founder of the Clemson University Graduate Engineering Programs at The Citadel and became Chair of Civil Engineering in 1998. He went on to teach and lead academic growth at Western Michigan University and The University of Texas at Tyler before returning to Texas A&M in January 2016 as Director of Special Engineering Initiatives.

At A&M, he moved into the role of associate vice chancellor, where he served as director of the RELLIS Academic Alliance focusing on facilities, external relations and collaborative research development. Now, as he takes the reins in Victoria, he plans to draw on his years of experience in academic leadership to lead A&M-Victoria through some important changes and developments.

“The university has faced some challenges in recent years, especially in terms of enrollment, and we are working to make some major strides in turning that around,” he said. “As interim, it’s my intention to begin the process of setting A&M-Victoria up for success and future growth. When the new president is selected, I want to have things ready and in order so they can step into the role and begin to execute their vision for the university.”

One important aspect of moving forward is promoting transparency, Nelson said. He plans to encourage open communication. He also encourages the university’s faculty and staff, as well as others, to share ideas on how to promote growth and solve problems.

“The level of enthusiasm and optimism that I have seen both from within the university and in the community is encouraging,” he said. “There’s a clear ‘How can we help?’ attitude, and that energy can make such a difference. We plan to have plenty of opportunities for collaboration and discussion in the days ahead. We’ll put all of the ideas on the table, and the best ones for Victoria will rise to the top.”

As part of the focus on growing the university, Nelson will be leading the effort to create new academic programs that will serve the region’s industries and economy. As part of the transition, the Texas Legislature approved funding that will be used to create programs in agribusiness and engineering in the next few years. The university also previously received funding to create an Aviation program, which will begin offering classes in fall 2026.

One of the biggest questions that Nelson is focusing on is, “What makes A&M-Victoria unique?”

“What makes students want to come here more than anywhere else?” Nelson asked. “We need to nail down that solid understanding of our identity as an institution and spread that message far and wide.”