President Schovanec’s State of the University highlighted many records while emphasizing Texas Tech's priority: our students.
Welcome back to the Mailbag!
Tuesday morning, Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec delivered his annual State of the University address, and it was something to behold.
The State of the University is a big production. It takes months of planning and some elements of it don't come together fully until the last minute.
This year, President Schovanec had plenty of positives to point out. The theme of the speech was investing in our people, and walking out of the Maedgen Theatre it was hard not to be impressed with where Texas Tech is heading into our next 100 years.
I won't take up your time running through all of what was said, but you can find a full recap of the event here or just take the time to watch the whole thing on YouTube.
What I would like to do is point out one part of the speech I found particularly important.
In his opening remarks, President Schovanec highlighted the continued growth of the university and Texas Tech's upward trajectory in areas including enrollment, research and fundraising. He would dig into each of those in more detail later.
But then he said this: “While growth is important, our students must always remain at the forefront. That's what Texas Tech has always been about. We are here to educate and graduate students with the skills and quality of mind to be leaders who get things done – people with the capabilities to solve global challenges and thrive in a 21st-century democracy.”
Like many of you, I love hearing about the awesome things happening at Texas Tech. It's hard not to be excited. We're in a transformational time at the university, and we're truly going from strength to strength.
The possibilities are endless in terms of growth. The support Texas Tech has received from federal, state and private sources over the last five years, and the support the university believes is coming in the next few years, will open up possibilities many never would have dreamed of.
But – and here's the reason those words resonated – record enrollment and unprecedented support only matter if we, as a university, keep the main thing the main thing.
Students at Texas Tech are the school's primary resource. They are the reason we're all here, the very reason this place exists.
Over the next 100 years, Texas Tech will have a hand in solving global issues. This university will feed, clothe and fuel generations to come. We'll create a workforce ready to adapt to and overcome whatever challenges lie ahead, and we'll produce leaders to help guide society into a prosperous future.
As long as we remember to keep our focus on what this university has always been about, From Here, It's Possible™.
One last thing about the State of the University.
It's worth taking a second here to highlight a few of the people who made the show possible.
Veronica Medina and Jeff Ramazani were responsible for the slides and animations at the event. Karin Slyker handled the livestream. Blake Zimmerman, Preston Jordan and Michael Minshew made sure you got the best content on social media. Taylor Peters was the stage handler. Lester Washington and Beth Davidson designed and distributed the invitations. Lucy Greenberg, Doug Hensley, Ashlyn Grotegut, Leslie Cranford, Sarah Linnartz and Katelynn Horton all worked to pull together stories for the show. George Watson handled all the media relations. Bat Myagmarjav did the web updating and, as always, Ashley Rodgers and Justin Rex made sure the photos for the show and of the show were of the highest quality.
Finding positive things to say about Texas Tech is easy. Pulling off an event like this team did Tuesday morning is not.
Congratulations to the whole team, and thanks for all your hard work.
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