TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY HAS ENTERED A NEW ERA

Since my last report, Texas State University has reached one of the most significant milestones in its 127-year history by joining the Pac-12 Conference. That invitation reflects years of deliberate investment in student success, academic excellence, research, enrollment growth, and institutional capacity.

Being invited to join the Pac-12 did not change who TXST is. It recognized what TXST has become. 

For years, people have underestimated what TXST was becoming. Today, the evidence speaks for itself. Our rise has never been measured solely by the number of students we enroll. It is measured by the opportunities we create and the lives we change. At a time when many universities across the state and around the country are confronting enrollment declines, demographic headwinds, growing public skepticism, and increasing pressure to demonstrate value, something different is happening at TXST. We are proving that expanding access and pursuing excellence are not competing ambitions, but mutually reinforcing commitments.

No public university in Texas has grown more over the past four years. Since Fall 2022, enrollment has increased by more than 6,000 students and is projected to approach 48,000 students this fall, making TXST the largest university in the new Pac-12. 

Undergraduate applications reached a record 74,000+ this year, positioning the university to become the next public university in Texas to surpass 50,000 students. Our momentum extends well beyond enrollment. TXST generated a record $183M in research expenditures last year, continues to accelerate toward Carnegie R1 classification, and contributes $7.7B annually to the Texas economy, including $3.2B in Central Texas.

TXST is no longer defined by what we aspire to become. We are being recognized for what we have built. And we are just getting started.

ELEVATING THE TXST BRAND

Our invitation to the Pac-12 was about far more than athletic success. It recognized a university whose academic strength, enrollment growth, research momentum, and competitive excellence have combined to elevate the TXST brand on a national stage.

Athletics has helped introduce TXST to millions of new people. Our responsibility now is to ensure that every new audience sees the full strength of our university.

That momentum was evident throughout the quarter. TXST Athletics earned the most points in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Bubas Cup standings for the fourth time in the past five years and recorded the highest Learfield Directors' Cup finish in SBC history, placing 93rd nationally among nearly 300 NCAA Division I institutions. Baseball earned an at-large NCAA Tournament berth, while Women's Track & Field concluded their season with a top-20 national finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Elisabet Runarsdottir captured the NCAA national championship in the hammer throw, leading the Bobcats to five All-America honors. Women's golfers Grace Quintanilla and Yvonne Chamness advanced to the NCAA Regional competition.

TXST launched a coordinated statewide marketing campaign to capitalize on the unprecedented visibility created by our move to the Pac-12. Through numerous media platforms across Texas and around the country, the campaign showcases TXST’s IMPACT, including academic excellence, research growth, student success, and economic impact.

The Pac-12 provides TXST with an extraordinary platform. We intend to use it to showcase not only outstanding athletics, but the full strength and promise of our university.

SERVING A GROWING TEXAS

Texas is leading the nation in population growth, business expansion, and job creation. As the state grows, so does the demand for an affordable, high-quality public university education and the workforce it produces.

TXST is meeting that demand by expanding educational opportunities across the state. Nearly half of our students are the first in their families to attend college, and we remain committed to creating multiple pathways that help more Texans earn a four-year degree.

That commitment was evident throughout the quarter.

The Round Rock Campus, for example, continues its rapid growth, with 3,084 students enrolled in at least one Round Rock course this spring, a 31% increase over last year. 

Enrollment in Round Rock-based degree programs reached 1,604 students, up 21%, supporting one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas.

TXST also expanded its statewide network to more than 25 transfer and co-enrollment partnerships, creating one of the most comprehensive pathways to a bachelor's degree in Texas. New and expanded agreements with Central Texas College, Sul Ross State University, Campus Community College, Lone Star College, South Texas College, Alamo Colleges, and El Paso Community College are making it easier for students to save money while completing their TXST degree closer to home.

We are also expanding graduate education through new regional partnerships. TXST has finalized a partnership with Austin Community College's Rio Grande Campus to offer a Master of Public Administration and continuing education programs in Healthcare Administration and Public Administration beginning Fall 2026, followed by an Executive MBA in Fall 2027. Together, these programs will prepare professionals to lead in public service, healthcare, and business while expanding the reach of TXST across Central Texas.

Our aviation program also continued its expansion. Beginning this fall, students will train at nine flight locations across Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Kansas, with additional locations planned in Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Fort Worth. This growing network allows students to pursue a TXST degree closer to home while helping address the nation's growing demand for aviation professionals.

As Texas grows, so will TXST. But we are not pursuing growth for its own sake. We are growing because every capable and motivated Texan deserves the opportunity to earn a TXST education that can change the trajectory of their life.

MAKING BOLD INVESTMENTS

TXST's financial strength is no accident. It is the result of the talent, dedication, and ambition our employees bring to this university every day. Because of their work, we can invest boldly in our people, our students, and our future.

Investing in Research

TXST announced one of the most significant investments in doctoral education in the university's history. Beginning this fall, research doctoral students holding assistantships will receive tuition scholarships covering up to 21 credit hours annually through the Texas University Fund (TUF). Because doctoral degree production is central to both the TUF funding model and Carnegie R1 classification, this investment strengthens our research enterprise while positioning TXST for long-term success.

Research momentum continued throughout the quarter. Associate Vice President Yatin Karpe was one of only five academic leaders nationwide to receive VentureWell's Institutional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award for advancing research commercialization and student entrepreneurship. Dr. Aniruddha Bora received the People's Choice Award at the Nucleate Texas Demo Day Finals for his AI-guided precision laser therapy technology.

TXST also secured a $3M congressional appropriation through the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with the support of Congressman John Carter, to establish a Gene Sequencing Facility at the Round Rock Campus. The facility will strengthen life sciences research while supporting the rapidly expanding biotechnology ecosystem in Central Texas.

Investing in Our People

Great universities are built by great people. At a time when many universities are reducing personnel and delaying investments, TXST is choosing a different path by investing in the people whose talent, ambition, and dedication continue to transform our university. 

TXST is proposing more than $26.2M next year in new investments supporting faculty and staff members, which is approximately $5M more than last year. The FY27 budget includes:

  • ~$10M for performance, equity, and market salary adjustments. 
  • ~$5M for new tenure-track faculty positions and permanent funding for previously temporary faculty appointments. 
  • ~$2M to expand staff positions across the university. 

Investing in people also means attracting exceptional academic leaders. Following a national search, for example, Dr. Kathy Cooke was named dean of the Honors College. A nationally recognized honors educator and former founding dean of the Honors College at the University of South Alabama, Dr. Cooke will strengthen one of TXST's signature academic programs while expanding opportunities for high-achieving students.

Investing in Opportunity

TXST announced the first NCAA Division I women's gymnastics program in Texas, with competition scheduled to begin in Spring 2028. Texas produces approximately 25% of the nation's elite gymnastics talent, yet no Division I program has ever existed in the state. This investment creates new opportunities for scholar-athletes while strengthening the university brand. Building on that momentum, TXST named Sarah Brown as the inaugural head coach of the program. Brown comes to San Marcos after nine successful seasons as head coach at Penn State. 

DELIVERING ON OUR MISSION

The heart of what TXST does is to improve the lives of all who come here. 

Every achievement this quarter reflects that commitment by helping more students succeed, graduate, and launch meaningful careers.

Student Success

This spring, TXST awarded degrees to more than 5,200 graduates, which is the largest graduating class in university history. Nearly 1,000 earned master's or doctoral degrees, and many are the first in their families to earn a college degree.

Student success begins long before commencement. During New Student Orientation, 70% of incoming freshmen enrolled in at least 15 credit hours, compared with approximately 40% just one year ago, while 99.4% left orientation with a completed class schedule. These improvements increase students' likelihood of graduating on time while reducing the overall cost of earning a degree.

Returning Students

TXST continues to create pathways for students whose education was interrupted. Since partnering with ReUp Education in 2020, the Bring Bobcats Back initiative has helped 1,167 former students return to complete their degrees. More than 700 have now graduated, including 51 this past May, and more than 4,100 former students have expressed interest in returning.

Career Readiness

Preparing students for successful careers remains central to our mission. Since launching in April 2025, Coursera Career Academy has generated more than 10,000 enrollments and over 3,000 course completions, enabling students to earn industry-recognized credentials in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, business analytics, project management, and other high-demand fields before graduation.

Career Services also continues expanding experiential learning opportunities. Enrollment in the AE 3000 Internship Course grew from three students in its inaugural offering to 56 students this summer, while TXST celebrated its first Career Signing Day, recognizing students beginning careers, graduate education, internships, and military service.

Student Experience

Student success extends beyond the classroom. On June 1, TXST launched one of the most significant transformations of the campus dining experience in university history through a new partnership with Aramark. The initiative includes major renovations to dining facilities, expanded options at athletics venues, new retail concepts across campus, and enhanced dining services at the Round Rock Campus, strengthening the experience for students across the university.

Our greatest contribution to Texas is not measured in buildings or budgets. It is measured in the people we educate, and the lives improved every day.

BUILDING THE NEXT CHAPTER

This quarter marked another important chapter in the story of TXST.

Joining the Pac-12, investing in doctoral education, expanding access across Texas, strengthening support for our faculty and staff members, and celebrating the largest graduating class in university history all reflect a university making deliberate investments in its future.

TXST has entered a new era. We are building a university that is larger in impact than in size: a nationally recognized public university that expands opportunity, pursues excellence, advances discovery, and prepares the leaders who will shape the future of Texas.

None of this would be possible without the extraordinary commitment of our faculty and staff, the ambition of our students, the loyalty of our alumni, the generosity of our donors, the partnership of our communities, and the leadership of the Texas State University System Office and our Board of Regents. Thank you for your continued confidence in our mission.

The next chapter of TXST has already begun. I believe it will be our most consequential yet.