Dr. Jeffrey Savell began serving as the vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences at The Texas A&M University System in June 2022.
As vice chancellor and dean, he serves on the Texas A&M University System Executive Committee, which provides the chancellor assessment, advice and recommendations on issues within the A&M System and the System Offices. The 16-person committee also aids the Board of Regents in implementing and overseeing strategic plans and policies.
He has been part of Texas A&M for more than 50 years — as an undergraduate student, graduate student, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist, faculty member at Texas A&M, and finally as vice chancellor and dean. He is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chairholder in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Savell finds inspiration in advancing the next generation and continues to teach. He has taught more than 13,000 undergraduates and mentored more than 170 graduate students in their research. In his time as vice chancellor and dean, freshman enrollment in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has grown by 40%. He also established the largest scholarship campaign in the College’s history, the Dean’s Excellence Scholars.
Dr. Savell’s research on key issues in the livestock and meat industries has earned numerous awards. He is a member of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, and in 2024, he was shown to be among the top 2% of most-cited researchers in the world in his fields. His extension work includes enormously popular programs such as the “Camp Brisket” and “Barbecue Summer Camp” workshops, which teach the art and science behind barbecue to people from all over the world.