FEATURES: TAMIU community welcomes President Christopher Maynard

By Kaily Olivo
Editor-in-chief
Published Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025

As TAMIU’s Fall 2025 semester neared midterms, it also welcomed the new President Christopher Maynard on Oct. 2, 2025.

When speaking to faculty, staff or others, Maynard is not shy about sharing his journey, experiences and priorities as the new Texas A&M International University president. Maynard’s journey to the presidency began without that initial idea in mind.

“When I started looking … I was actually not looking to apply for a presidency yet, I was Provost at University of Houston-Clear Lake,” Maynard explains. “I saw when the job was posted, but a colleague of mine reached out to me and really encouraged me to look at the University in depth.”

Although he was not necessarily looking for the presidency, Maynard was aware of TAMIU and began his research on the Laredo university.

“The first thing I did, like I do most things, I started researching the University,” Maynard said. “I’m a historian by training.”

As he began his research, he compared the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and its peers, but also looked at the student metrics of TAMIU.

“The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has peer comparisons and TAMIU is in the same peer group as the university I was at prior,” he said. “I first looked at all the student success metrics for our university.”

Maynard recognizes that his main focus is student success and through his research, he saw that same focus at TAMIU.

“One thing that I always, at any position I’ve ever had in higher education, my main focus is always going to be student success,” Maynard said. “As I started researching the University in depth, the thing that jumped out to me immediately was that we have very good student-success numbers.”

Besides student metrics and success, Maynard looked into the facilities and the student activities at TAMIU. He noticed the environment of focusing on student experience, which prompted him to learn more about the University.

“Everything I saw at TAMIU demonstrated to me that this University is a university really focused on students,” Maynard said. “We care about students, and to care about students not just in this classroom, that’s important, but also the entire student experience … that was something I’ve always been focused on in my career of higher education,” he said. “That jumped out very quickly and really … helped me be excited about this opportunity and really wanted to learn more and more about the University.”

During his search, he visited TAMIU and Laredo; he took note of the campus and facilities.

“[It’s a] wonderful area, beautiful campus and again, what I appreciated most when I stepped foot on this campus is just how vibrant our campus is,” Maynard said. “There [are] students at this campus. We have activities constantly happening and it really is the type of educational environment I wanted to be in. This was … a university focused on students and a place where I really felt I could make a difference.”

As he recognized TAMIU’s student metrics and student success, his priority as president remains focused on student success.

“The top priority for TAMIU will always be student success,” Maynard said. “As president, everything that I do … will be related to student success.”

He noticed the environment of focusing on student experience, he said those experiences happen inside and outside the classroom.

“Student success is how well are students doing in the classroom till graduation, all of those normal metrics,” Maynard said. “But, it’s also what type of learning is happening outside of the classroom, what type of experiences are our students getting while they’re here at TAMIU, both inside and outside the classroom—experiences within the community, education abroad experiences, any experience that allows that student to really grow as a person and as a student, and be ready, not just for a career, but be ready for a lifetime of success, and developing those skill sets and abilities.”

Maynard said experiences increase the opportunities for students.

“One of the things I’m committed to, as president of TAMIU, is constantly looking to see how we can provide even more experiences for our students that will help them grow and develop and be good citizens in the world, to be successful in the workplace,” Maynard said.

He believes there are many beneficial contributing skillsets and traits. TAMIU and community experiences can make an individual successful.

“Yes, to think critically, but also to be resilient, to be a problem solver [and] to be able to adapt to different situations, that’s what makes, I think, any individual successful in life,” Maynard said.

Alongside this, he adds using education abroad to expand the opportunities for students.

“I am a firm believer in education abroad,” Maynard said. “I’m a firm believer in stretching oneself to learn more, to grow and develop as a person and I want to make sure every single student who steps foot on this campus has those types of opportunities and … feels like not only that they have the opportunities, but they belong here; they’re supported here and we are committed to their success.”

He said the university experience is an important factor for individuals.

“It’s not just going to class, which going to class is important, but it’s also developing that sense of purpose in their life, that sense of confidence, that sense of belonging,” Maynard said. “One thing I want every student who steps foot on this campus to know is that they belong here; that we are here to support them and we’re going to help them, not only through graduation, which is extremely important, but also we’re going to be with them for their entire life.”

Maynard acknowledges that every student is part of the TAMIU alumni family.

“Every student is going to be a part of our alumni family, and we’re going to support that student and make sure they are successful throughout their entire life and that, to me, is what is special about TAMIU,” Maynard said. “It will always be at the center of every decision we make as a university: How will this help support students?”

As he begins his presidency, the first thing he plans to do is listen as he faces challenges.

“The first thing I would be doing is listening,” Maynard said. “I intend to … continue to do that and listen to how we as a university can help improve the educational experience for our students.”

As these challenges are faced head on, he believes improvement can always be made.

“TAMIU is doing a great job,” he said. “We can always do better, we can always do more,”

Throughout his career, Maynard looked at other universities’ practices as a strategy to improve.

“Well, throughout my career, one thing I’ve always found true is that looking at best practices at other universities, there are always things we can continue to implement here,” he said. “Both in this university, and in life, you learn about what are things that make individuals successful, whether that’s a person, whether that’s another university, whether that’s an organization. How can we continue to build that here?”

Maynard said accreditation for TAMIU’s degree program is an important way to tell students that TAMIU is delivering the best educational opportunities.

“Accreditation for all of our degree programs and for the University is a way for us to make sure we’re delivering the very best educational opportunities we can for our students—by looking at those accreditation standards, by looking at what other universities are doing,” Maynard said.

With this, Maynard shares the ability to tell students about the education offered at TAMIU and to deliver its educational mission.

“[What] we, as a university, are committed to doing is making sure when a student comes to TAMIU for a degree, they are getting a world-class educational opportunity,” Maynard said. “Those accreditation standards help us ensure that we’re providing that level of commitment to students that … if you’re from this area and you want to stay in the area to get your education, you’re still getting a top-notch educational experience.”

Maynard believes learning inside and outside the classroom makes up the learning process, as well as for research.

“Learning to apply those skills, whether you’re applying skills you’re learning in the classroom, in a lab—in say, a scientific laboratory setting, or as a historian in an archive, that’s doing research, which is really active learning,” Maynard said.

Active learning can be used by students to better prepare them for their future, whether it’s in the workplace or seeking an advanced degree.

“By doing active learning outside the classroom, researching in your field, students are better equipped, not only to develop those skillsets more rapidly by putting them into effect, but when they graduate and get their first job, they’re already prepared.”

He strives for hands-on learning experiences to develop skills.

“I want every single student in this university, regardless of [what] their major is … making sure that there’s hands-on learning opportunities for them to develop those skills, to practice those skills, to refine those skills.”

Maynard highlights the educational opportunity provided by TAMIU that connects students to the world through education abroad opportunities.

“We can provide world-class educational experiences here at TAMIU,” Maynard said. “Through our education abroad opportunities … they’re able to go around the world to have those types of learning experiences and then be able to bring those learned experiences back to TAMIU.”

He says this allows for a richer educational process.

“It’s not an either or. It can be an and. It can be that I want to stay in my region and learn and have a world-class educational experience and I also want to be connected to the world,” Maynard said. “That’s what’s beautiful about having ‘international’ in the title of our University. It is about connecting students to this region, but also to the world, and we can do that here at TAMIU.”

He admitted there would be challenges, despite remaining focused on the goal.

“Well, in life, there’s always going to be challenges,” Maynard said. “The goal is always, in life, to keep focused on where you’re trying to get to and then whatever challenges come our way as a university, or as a student individually. Again, it’s relying on what you’ve learned, but also relying on the people around you.”

Maynard sees TAMIU as a family where the University can work together.

“I want to continue to make sure students know that when they become a student at TAMIU, … the TAMIU family is here to support them,” he said. “We have lots of resources at this university to help students, to help our faculty, to help our staff, to be able to face challenges.”

As the 2025-26 school year paves its way, Maynard expects to use social media to not only introduce himself, but to tell the campus stories that happen.

“We are committed as a university and I am, as president, to make sure we are … telling the great stories that are happening all across TAMIU, in all of our majors across the entire university, all of the great stories that [involve] our students, … our faculty, our staff,” Maynard said.

Maynard recognizes the many people who put forth work at TAMIU and wants to continue to highlight their successes.

“There are so many people at this university doing great work,” Maynard said. “And, we’re going to continue to highlight all of those great successes so we can inspire … this entire university community to continue to achieve, continue to help each other and just aspire to that goal of student success.”

He offered his excitement at joining the TAMIU community and working alongside colleagues.

“I’m excited to be here,” Maynard said. “I am thrilled to be the president of this university [and] I’m honored to be the president of this university,” Maynard said. “I’ve been looking forward to this … I am looking forward to being here for a long time and working together with all of my colleagues to make a larger and larger impact on students and on this region.”