Top Ten Moments: May 2023

Congratulations to the 4,500 Bobcats who graduated this Spring. I cherish our graduation traditions, new and old. There were joyful leaps into the river after each ceremony, plus my favorite NEW tradition was a thrill to announce. We are now awarding TXST challenge coins to graduates who participate in commencement ceremonies. What a memorable week of celebrations!

Special thanks to the faculty and staff members who joined the Run to R1 events on the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses. Provost Dr. Gene Bourgeois and VP for Research Dr. Shreek Mandayam shared updates on our R1 trajectory during the Town Hall. Then, we set off on a 1K Run/Walk, a symbolic gesture that shows it will take ALL of us moving forward together to achieve our R1 goal.

Beth and I had a blast serving students breakfast at Jones Dining Hall the night before final exams started. There were plenty of pancakes and eggs to go around. Many thanks to all the faculty, staff, and student volunteers who made this event possible – including my Vice Presidents who pitched in to serve.

The student projects showcased at the Ingram School of Engineering Senior Design Day were remarkable – designs for affordable housing, dam structures, commuter rail systems, wastewater plants, and more. It was an honor to congratulate the participants and winners.

Beth and I flew to New York City to catch up with donors and alumni. The trip included an alumni reception starring the Stelos Scholars, a cohort of extraordinary TXST students studying leadership. We also attended a post-performance reception for musical theater alumni, many of whom are performing on Broadway. The talent in that room was incredible!

It was awesome to see dozens of student scholarship recipients welcome our top donors at the annual Giving Society reception. These donors touch the lives of so many Bobcats. Their support is critical as we elevate our research enterprise, academic programs, and Bobcat Athletics. We are immensely grateful.

It was an honor to celebrate faculty and staff who have donated to TXST for a decade or longer, and those who have given $10,000 or more. We call these employees the “Gold Standard” because they’re a shining example of dedication and service.

I am excited to launch the inaugural President’s Leadership Class this Fall. Selected first-year students will meet weekly for workshops designed to develop their leadership skills and prepare them to be leaders at TXST and beyond. We will host influential guest speakers from on and off campus.

I am blown away by the talent in our School of Music! Students put on several end-of-semester concerts to show off their skills. I enjoyed the Concert of Soloists, which featured top performers supported by the TXST orchestra. VocaLibre, a student acapella group, also put on an outstanding season finale concert — and even invited Beth to join them for a song. It was beautiful.

At the Staff Service Awards, we celebrated milestone anniversaries for staff members who have worked 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years at TXST! These professionals have almost 2,800 years of combined service, and they have seen lots of change and progress. Imagine, in the last 45 years our student count has grown from 15,000 in 1978 to more than 38,000 in 2023.