The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously approved Mark A. Welsh III as the interim president of Texas A&M University in a special-called meeting Sunday.

Chancellor John Sharp previously named Welsh on July 21 as the acting president of the university. The board’s action was needed to place Welsh into a longer-term role to lead the university. Welsh replaces M. Katherine Banks, who stepped down earlier this month.

“I cannot think of a better person than Mark Welsh to lead Texas A&M right now,” Sharp said. “He has experience running a large organization, but he also is widely respected and universally well-liked in the Aggie community. General Welsh has earned a reputation as a smart, thoughtful and collaborative leader. We are lucky to have him in the president’s office.”

Welsh has been dean of the university’s Bush School of Government and Public Service since 2016, but his time in the academic realm came after a long and decorated career in the United States Air Force.