US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has just been appointed as president of University of Texas at El Paso.

Wilson will resign from her top position at the end of May 2019. She will then go to take the new role in mid-August, despite opposition from some students and faculty.

The former congresswoman, who is one of Trump’s first Senate-confirmed service secretary, received criticism over her past voting record on LGBTI rights and immigration.

Wilson as President of University of Texas El Paso

LGBTI advocacy group GLAAD slammed the decision to appoint Wilson, who was voted unanimously.

‘[This] is a failure in process and transparency and a disservice to the students, faculty and alumni of the University of Texas,’ Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said.

‘LGBTI students should never have to question whether their university president supports them, and Heather Wilson’s appointment is a slap in their face.’

“LGBTQ students should never have to question whether their University president supports them, and Heather Wilson's appointment is a slap in their face.” — @sarahkateellis https://t.co/DextDOtCTF — GLAAD (@glaad) April 2, 2019

Wilson praised UTP’s excellence

‘No institution means more to the future of El Paso and Juarez region than UTEP,’ Wilson said in an emailed statement following the final vote.

‘Its deep commitment to providing access to education and excellence in research is a model for the nation.’

Students won’t feel safe on campus

Cristina Calvillo-Rivera, a graduate who with her wife started a petition against Wilson’s nomination that got 10,500 signatures, told NBC News nobody listened to her plea.

‘Not even one regent listened to us. Not even one regent listened to the overwhelming opposition,’ she said.

‘How is it that a person who literally has no experience of leading a diverse campus, how are they allowed in?’

The University of Texas at El Paso has an enrollment of around 25,000 students, about 80% of whom are Latino.

‘Black and brown and LGBTQ students and employees will never feel safe on campus knowing they are being presided over by someone who has consistently voted against them,’ former UTEP student Eden Klein told NBC.

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