Strategic Advances: 2003-2008
A number of people at Texas Tech have worked to advance the university on many fronts over the past five years. Examples include:
Faculty/Academics
- Added 27 new endowed chairs and professorships
- Added 53 new faculty positions in strategic research and instructional areas
- Offered merit salary increases for faculty and staff every year
- Hired new deans of engineering, graduate school, agriculture, and visual and performing arts and new vice president for research
- Significantly expanded expenditures for faculty research start up funds
- Started a humanities and arts research grant program
- Stimulated the intellectual and cultural life on campus by launching a Presidential Lecture and Performance Series
- Added new doctoral, masters, and baccalaureate degree programs in strategic areas: new PhD in Mass Communications and first PhD in wind engineering in the nation
- Began search for faculty ombudsperson
Facilities
- Major addition to law school building
- New Rawls College of Business building in design phase
- Plan to renovate old business building for multi-disciplinary high-tech classrooms and faculty offices
- New studio art addition/renovation
- Multi-phase engineering complex renovation and expansion in planning and design phase
- New distance education building
Student Support
- Texas Tech installed a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Out of 35 public universities in Texas, only UT-Austin and Texas A&M also hold this distinction
- Launched “Red Raider Guarantee” program—where students whose parents make under $40,000 per year are guaranteed full tuition and fee support from TTU
- Added 29 professional academic advisors
- Inaugurated a four-year graduation contract
- Created a new College of Mass Communications
- Improved first-year retention rate
- Increased minority enrollment to 21%
- 2007 First-year Hispanic enrollment up 24%
- 2007 First-year African American enrollment up 44%
- 2007 First-year Asian American enrollment up 46%
- Increased total degrees awarded by 1421 students over 5 years, 6144 graduates in 2007 vs. 4723 in 2003
- Increased African-American students earning degrees by 9.7%
- Increased Hispanic students earning degrees by 28%
- Established an “ethics” academic initiative
- Consolidated all student services including admissions, financial aid, registrar, and student business services into a renovated building
- Signed transfer affiliation and/or duel enrollment agreements with 45 of 50 Texas community college districts
- Developed an emergency alert notification system for campus
Facilities
- Added bike lanes to campus roads
- Completed new 540 bed suite-style residence hall, Grover Murray Hall
- Built new student wellness center
- Expanded and totally renovated Student Union Building
- Building a recreational leisure pool facility
- Renovated student food-service facilities
Institutional Diversity
- Created a Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Diversity position
- Created a diversity faculty hiring initiative
- Women faculty now 36%, up from 29%
- Hispanic faculty now 6%, up from 4%
- Asian/Pacific Islander faculty now 11% up from 9%
- African-American faculty held constant at 2%
- Established a Presidential Council on Gender and Equity
- Opened a Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center
- Greatly expanded Mentor Tech program for first-generation and minority students
- Expanded first-generation scholarship programs
- Established diversity and equity faculty, staff, and student recognition awards
Research/Graduate Education
- Engaged the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C. to conduct an outside review of Tech’s graduate school
- Increased graduate student enrollment every year for 5 years
- Hired a new graduate dean
- Hired a new vice president for research
- Developed internal research seed-grant programs
- Invested in faculty start up funds
- Started or expanded research initiatives in water, wind energy, plant genetics, geosciences, bio-fuels, pulsed power, materials science, nanotechnology/nanophotonics, biosciences, animal and food sciences, environmental sciences, bioengineering, Southwest and border studies
- Increased masters and doctoral degrees granted by 40% over 5 years
Research and academic facilities:
- Experimental Science Research Building
- Animal and Food Science Building
- Museum Natural Science Research Laboratory addition
- Human Science Research Center addition
- Engineering Research Lab currently under extensive renovation
Staff Development
- Created staff ombudsperson position
- Provided merit raises every year
- Developed Fit-Tech health and wellness program
- Created an employee education incentive program: staff are eligible to enroll for 3-4 credits each semester with all tuition and fees paid by Texas Tech
- Created an “extra time off award” program for outstanding staff performance
- Analyzing the possible creation of a child-care referral office
NCAA Athletics
- Achieved top-ten ranking for graduation rates of football student-athletes five years running
- Achieved a record number of student-athletes receiving Big 12 Conference and NCAA academic awards
- Football: five consecutive bowl appearances
- Hired new women’s basketball coach (Kristy Curry from Purdue)
- 2005: both men’s and women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Sweet 16
- 2006: Track won Big 12 Championship
Facilities
- Built academic center for student athletes, the Marsha Sharp Center
- Built football training facility
- Built new women’s soccer field
- Renovated baseball field
- Upgrading softball stadium
- Planning 3rd phase of the football stadium expansion
- Planning a hall of fame building and upgrades for track