Dr. Daniel Ragsdale, professor of practice in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, was recently elected to the university's Faculty Senate where he will represent the Texas A&M College of Engineering. This comes 40 years after being elected student senator as an undergraduate in the department.
Ragsdale, who also serves as director of the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center, intends to participate in Faculty Senate committees that address curriculum issues, as well as those that address student life.
“I see my service as a faculty senator as an opportunity to work with other members of our esteemed faculty to make refinements to enhance, extend and build upon the already remarkable set of educational and developmental experiences available to our highly talented students,” Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale began his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M in the fall of 1976. He ultimately completed his bachelor’s degree in general engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1981, where he was granted an appointment and served as a leader in a variety of teaching and research roles, culminating with his service as vice dean for education, the principal deputy to West Point's chief academic officer.
In the late 1990s, Ragsdale returned to Texas A&M to complete his doctoral degree in computer science, and was elected president of the Computer Science Graduate Student Association. In that role, a number of programs and initiatives were established, many of which are still ongoing now nearly 20 years later.
“A&M, as we all know, is very a special place,” Ragsdale said. “The students, the faculty and the staff unabashedly embrace A&M’s core values – in particular, excellence, selfless service and leadership. Consequently, I feel very confident that through their collective efforts they will make the world we share a better place to live in. This prevailing attitude motivates me to do whatever I can to ensure that the A&M curriculum and the holistic learning environment we provide to our students continues to be replete with high-impact, life-changing experiences.”
Other computer science and engineering faculty members representing the college of engineering in the university Faculty Senate are Dr. Walter Daugherity, senior lecturer; Dr. Tim Davis, professor; Dr. Daniel Jiménez, professor; and Dr. Duncan "Hank" Walker, professor and graduate advisor.