Commission

Presidential Commission on the Run to R1

The commission is charged with helping TXST achieve R1 by 2027. The commission conducted a comprehensive review of current strategies, conducted benchmarking and data analysis, determined which metrics are most important to reach R1 status, and identified strategies to meet aggressive targets.

Members of the Presidential Commission on the Road to R1

  • Shreekanth Mandayam, Vice President for Research (Chair)
  • Jasmine Austin, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies
  • Cristine Black, Associate Vice President for Budgeting, Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Stephen Ciullo, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
  • Caitlin Gabor, Professor, Department of Biology
  • Denise Gobert, Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
  • Andrea Golato, Dean of The Graduate College
  • Ronald Hagelman, Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies
  • Bill Kelemen, Professor, Department of Psychology
  • Stacey Kulesza, Associate Professor, Ingram School of Engineering
  • Apan Qasem, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science
  • Alejandra Sorto, Professor, Department of Mathematics
  • Vedaraman Sriraman, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • Marc Turner, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research
  • Bob Vasquez, Associate Professor, School of Criminal Justice & Criminology
  • TBD, Faculty Senate Representative

Charge of the Commission

  • Think outside of the box and dream big. Be fearless!
  • Avoid the temptation of saying “but we have always done it this way.”
  • Set aggressive targets and timelines. Make bold recommendations to meet those targets.
  • Explore opportunities for accelerating the Run to R1 on all campuses (including the Round Rock Campus, STAR Park, and Freeman Ranch).
  • Avoid falling into the trap of only focusing on STEM disciplines at the expense of the arts and humanities. A great university must have a real appreciation for a broad range of disciplines.
  • Make tough decisions around recommendations, resources, and priorities. Investment is likely not to be equally distributed.
  • Keep in mind that while achieving National Research University Fund (NRUF) eligibility is important to the university, the focus of this Commission is not NRUF.