Women Who Shaped SHSU

As the 13th n first fem le presi ent of S m Houston St te University, D n Hoyt h s le the university

through 10 ye rs of tremen ous gro th, propelling the

university to ne heights. Due in p rt to her str tegic

le ership n fin nci l expertise,

SHSU

m e m or

v nces in c emics, rese rch, stu ent success initi tives,

c mpus exp

nsion, ccomplishments n fun r ising. Most not ble of her m ny

s est blishing the Tex s St te University

System’s first osteop thic me ic l school.

Job Well Done!

In February, Hoyt announced that the current academic year, which ends on August 31, will be her last. While Sam Houston State has taken enormous strides during her tenure, Hoyt hopes that when people reflect on her legacy at Sam Houston they know first and foremost that she cared deeply about the institution.

“I’ve been honored and blessed every day I have been at Sam Houston State,” she said. “We have, such dedicated faculty and staff, incredible students and amazing alumni.”

Little did Hoyt know when she joined the university in April 2009 as vice president of finance and operations, her background and experience would lead her to the position of president in little over a year later. A product of the Texas educational system, she grew up and attended schools in north Texas. She also attended Texas universities, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in businessaccounting and a Master of Business Administration at Texas Woman’s University and a doctorate in business at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Early on, Hoyt didn’t think she wanted to go to college. In high school, she wanted to be a horse trainer. She loved the animals and the training, but her parents were adamant that she obtain a college education. They told her, “You can do whatever you want, whatever you love to do, but you just have to get a college degree because in the long run, you never know where you are going to go in life.” She majored in accounting and found her calling.

A Certified Public Accountant since 1984, Hoyt began her career in private industry. In 1986 she joined academia at Texas Woman’s University as a lecturer in “Dana has overseen a remarkable decade of enrollment growth, campus improvements, and the launch of the System’s first medical school. She has been an outstanding ambassador for Sam Houston State University and a strong champion for her students. Her service to the university will benefit students for generations to come.” — Brian McCall

S H A P E D S H S U

Hoyt will leave the university in a big way. In the decade under her leadership, Sam Houston experienced incredible growth, expanded academic offerings and support, received notable recognitions too numerous to count, and partnered with communities and business in service to the citizens of Texas.

Enrollment increased 25% Graduation rates remain above the state average Added 20 undergraduate, 15 masters and 6 doctoral programs 29.7% increase in faculty headcount; tenure/tenure-track rose 16.2% Grant funding grew 119% $423.2 million in new construction $143.7 million in renovation, repair and infrastructure $23.7 million in property acquisitions A 253% increase in fundraising for a total of $126.2 million Alumni membership grew 102% and life memberships increased 145%

University Recognition

One of the Top Universities for Placing

Graduates in Texas Workforce No. 1 Online College in Texas (Study.com) No. 1 Best Online Colleges in Texas (Online Colleges.com) No. 1 Safest Campus in Texas No. 2 in Texas Social Mobility Index No. 8 “Best Affordable Colleges in Texas for Bachelor’s Degrees (AffordableSchools.com) Top 10 Performing Institutions in U.S. for Latino Students Top 100 “Biggest Movers” in U.S. (Inside Higher Ed) GI Jobs “Military Friendly School”

accounting and management information systems. She was promoted to assistant professor in 1989, and later received tenure as an associate professor of accounting and management information systems.

In 1996, Hoyt was named TWU’s special assistant to the vice president for finance and administration. She was promoted to associate vice president for finance and administration and university controller and was named vice president for academic and information services in 2000.

She left Texas Woman’s University to become vice president for finance and administration of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver (Colorado). After serving two years, she was named vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Colorado at Denver (and Health Sciences Center) where she oversaw a budget of more than $700 million with funded research of $300 million.

She returned to Texas as the vice president for business and finance at Southern Methodist University. After her service at SMU, she was selected as president of National University, the second largest not-for-profit university in California.

In 2009, she returned to her Texas roots to join Sam Houston State as vice president for finance and operations. Her responsibilities included the administration of many of the business functions of the university including the controller’s office, budget, auxiliary operations, procurement, property, public safety, parking, human resources, facilities management, construction and planning, information resources, and institutional research and assessment.

With enrollment steadily increasing by nearly 2.3 percent annually, capital improvements and campus expansions have also been at the forefront of Hoyt’s leadership. She has overseen numerous construction projects to bring the latest in technology and amenities to the university to facilitate learning including new residence halls—Lone Star Hall and Piney Woods Hall, Steele Golf Facility, Lowman Student Center expansion, parking garages, the Fred Pirkle Engineering Technology Center, Student Health and Counseling Center, Life Sciences Building, General’s Market, Old Main Market and the art complex for the College of Arts and Media.

Clearly, it has been a whirlwind of activity at Sam Houston State over the past

decade, but she considers the creation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine her proudest accomplishment.

“It was a long, tough challenge, but it was the right thing to do, not only for SHSU, but for the region. For more than 140 years, SHSU has produced a workforce focused on service, and the COM is no different,” said Hoyt. “More than half of the COM’s inaugural class are from SHSU’s targeted region—rural and underserved counties. I never thought we would have that kind of success in our first year.”

Her energy is boundless and her support of students unwavering. A firstgeneration student herself, Hoyt’s passion for student success goes well-beyond the classroom. She is well-known for creating a student-centric culture on campus and engaging with students both personally and through social media at every opportunity.

As chancellor of Texas State University System, Brian McCall has had the privilege of appointing seven college and university presidents during his administration.

“Dr. Hoyt was the first of these, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision,” he said. “Dana has overseen a remarkable decade of enrollment growth, campus improvements, and the launch of the System’s first medical school. She has been an outstanding ambassador for Sam Houston State University and a strong champion for her students. Her service to the university will benefit students for generations to come.”

So, what does the future hold for Hoyt? Most importantly, she wants to spend time with family (she has five grandchildren) and friends.

“I’ve never really had the opportunity to take time off as the president’s job is really a 24/7 commitment,” she said.

She also plans to brush up on her Spanish and hopefully travel throughout the United States and abroad once it is safer after the pandemic. Could a return to higher education be on the horizon? She may look at returning to teach in the future to remain connected with the students, because, according to Hoyt, “that’s the fun part.”

Despite the weight of the responsibilities at the end of her tenure, it is only fitting that an academic year like no other was led by a president like no other.

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Led the effort to purchase the home and grounds of General Sam Houston for the university and state.

Bertha Kir ley

Thousands of Texans, young and old, travel to Huntsville to learn more about Texas’ hero Sam Houston. Several buildings that Houston lived and worked in are preserved to this day at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Much of that history would not have been possible without the passion of Bertha Kirkley.

As a history professor at Sam Houston Normal Institute, Kirkley and her students initiated the effort to preserve the Houston homestead in 1905.

Many of Houston’s original properties were either close to ruin after years of neglect or had several “improvements” made over the years. The famous Woodland Home for example, was being used as a “boarding and valley house for girls” at the time.

Kirkley believed these buildings belonged to the people of Texas and it was SHNI’s duty to purchase, restore and display these historical properties for future generations. Her efforts rallied a community around this idea more than 100 years ago and her dedication to history and preserving General Sam Houston’s legacy through a public space still lives on through the current museum staff.

“Her sense of history and the significance to the university and the community was very much a model of what we do today,” said Mac Woodward, director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. “I don’t think we would have hundreds of thousands of people come to visit a site where Sam Houston’s home used to be if the building itself was not here. The contributions of Kirkley and her students were key. You are walking the grounds and experiencing what the Houston family experienced thanks to her conviction to keep history preserved for the public.”

Still standing today is a plaque on the museum grounds honoring Kirkley and her students’ efforts to save the homestead. It is located on the second floor of the Woodland home.

Augusta Lawrence

The death of the first president of Sam Houston Normal Institute, Henry Pritchett, struck the Huntsville community deeply in 1908. The university immediately began to seek ways to honor his legacy.

Augusta Lawrence, a geography teacher at SHNI, found a piece from a book titled ‘The Militant’ that she believed summed up Pritchett’s passion for helping others.

“The measure of a life is its service.”

In speaking about Pritchett after his passing, Lawrence explained why that phrase stood out to her in her reading.

“It seemed so natural the he should do the good thing, the kind thing, the helpful thing,” Lawrence said.

Her memorial to Pritchett was inscribed on a piece of stained glass in the Main Building in 1910. More than 110 years after the dedication of the window, the phrase Lawrence chose continues to play a key role in the life of Bearkats.

“I believe the motto has stuck for so long because she found a perfect fit for this university and its students,” said Mac Woodward, director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. “General Sam Houston was dedicated to service and built his life to serve others. I think he would be very proud that this university was established with such great leadership who took up that mantle and served this community and state.” Coined the phrase ‘The measure of a Life is its Service’ in memory of SHSU President Henry Pritchett. The phrase remains the school motto to this day.

M arion Rather Powell

Marion Rather Powell was raised by a family with deep roots in Huntsville, Texas. The Powells were some of the earliest settlers in the area and she dedicated her life to suffrage and education for women of the region.

After graduating from the University of Texas in 1902, Powell returned to teach at Huntsville High School. In 1909 she joined the staff of Sam Houston Normal Institute and was commissioned a year later by President Harry Estill to compose the school song. The song debuted at the 1910 homecoming. That same year, the school’s marching band formed.

Although her teaching career came to an end in 1913, she remained active in the suffrage and education movement throughout her life. Powell served as chairwoman of the Walker County Women’s Suffrage Association and was involved in the League of Women Voters, the World War Food Conservation and Red Cross Committees. She was also the first woman to serve as a member of the Huntsville High School board.

The Powells also donated many items to SHSU, including a beautiful stained glass window located in the Main Building that commemorated the school song.

Wrote SHSU’s official school song in 1910.

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Taught Chemistry at SHSU for more than 50 years.

Honored as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in 2007.

Alcalde, 1958

M ary Lynn D eShazo

Beginning in 1957, Mary Lynn DeShazo paved her way into a maledominated field of science and started a career of more than 50 years of teaching chemistry and advising and mentoring students at SHSU.

In 1984, she became Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and in 1987, DeShazo was named Associate Dean.

DeShazo’s passion for science was apparent and went well beyond the classroom as she served with many organizations regionally and nationally, including the University Faculty Senate and the Texas Association of College Teachers. Some of her many honors include being named recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award in 2007, recipient of the SHSU Excellence in Service Award for 1994, and selected to represent SHSU at the National Recognition Program for Women at the University of Houston in 1985. DeShazo not only helped sharpen students’ minds, but also shaped the future for Bearkats by leaving a lasting legacy through the establishment of the on-campus freshman honor society, Alpha Lamda Delta, for which she was a founding member. “Dr. DeShazo contributed so much to the chapter at SHSU,” said Kalyn Cavazos, SHSU’s former Dean of Students’ program coordinator. “She donated money in efforts for chapter fundraising, items for specific events and her time, serving as a resource to the students as a faculty liaison and someone they could turn to if ever needed.”

In 2016, DeShazo was honored with the announcement of a scholarship in her name in recognition of her contributions to both the group and SHSU. This scholarship continues to give $1,000 a year to members of Alpha Lamda Delta.

DeShazo was honored as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in 2007 and continued to serve as a supporter of SHSU until her death in 2019.

H azel Minerva Bow an Ker er

Hazel B. Kerper was the first woman graduate of the University of Wyoming Law School and subsequently became a member of the Wyoming, California and Texas state Bars. She also received degrees from Stanford University Law School (J.D.) and Florida State (M.S.). Kerper joined SHSU in 1966 as a professor where she devoted her career to building a law program within the Institute of Contemporary Corrections and the Behavioral Sciences (known today as the College of Criminal Justice).

With a combined background in criminology and law, Kerper demonstrated great strength in research while teaching the legal aspects of law enforcement and corrections. She also contributed to the field of CJ and law literature with three successful academic books between ’72-’76. Kerper’s “Introduction to the Criminal Justice System,” became the first textbook in the discipline incorporating theory with emerging justice policy and administrative practice and sold more copies than any other publication by West Publishing.

“As you can imagine, I am thinking about and talking about my mother’s advocacy for criminal justice these days,” her daughter, Jill Mora, said. “Dr. Kerper served on a panel for criminal justice reform with Senator Barbara Jordan a few years before her death in 1975. If she were alive today, I’m sure we would be hearing her strong voice in our national debate about criminal justice.”

In 1978, three years after her passing, the university recognized her achievements when the new courtroom and judges’ chambers in the SHSU Beto Criminal Justice Center were officially named in her honor. To mark the occasion in a ceremony, George Killinger, the founding director of the institute, spoke fondly of Kerper and the key role she played in her vision of creating the spaces as teaching labs.

“This room and the judges’ chambers are a monument to her,” Killinger said. “While she was a great teacher, a great researcher, a great author and a great friend to us all—her greatest love was her field of study—the law—which she so vigorously fought for and so brilliantly added to the curriculum of the Institute and which will now be preserved, promoted and perpetuated in this great Teaching Court Room by the faculty and students who will follow and who will attempt to live up to the standards set by our great lady—Dr. Hazel Bowman Kerper.”

Established first law curriculum within SHSU Criminal Justice studies.

Developed a CJ courtroom learning lab later named in her honor.

Hazel Bowman Kerper judges’ chambers in the SHSU Beto Criminal Justice Center.

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Philanthropist and lifelong supporter of SHSU College of Education.

Founded Garrett Electronics, Inc., a metal detection empire recognized globally.

Eleanor Garrett (1954, 1955)

With parents who were both teachers, Eleanor Garrett grew up with the expectation that she would carry on the family tradition. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Education degree at what was then Sam Houston State Teachers College.

She served as a visiting teacher in Trinity County and taught at schools in Nederland, Vidor, Port Neches and Garland before she and her husband Charles, an engineering graduate of Lamar University, decided to start up the Garrett Metal Detector Company in 1964. After 15 successful years, they expanded into the security industry.

Garrett has played a key role in the development and success of the company. Today, their family-owned business is one of the world’s largest producers of hobby, security and countermine detectors. Garrett security products are used to protect patrons at airports, schools, government buildings, sporting events, hospitals, national landmarks and corporations. The company has even furnished security equipment for the Olympic games for over 25 years.

While her career has led her far beyond her early years as an educator, Garrett’s teaching roots inspired a generous gift to her alma mater. SHSU’s Teacher Education Center is named in honor of her and her husband, in recognition of her lifelong support of elementary, secondary and higher education. Their gift funded two areas within the College of Education—the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Endowed Chair for Special Education and the Eleanor and Charles Garrett Graduate Fellowships in Special Education.

Her generosity has also resulted in several endowments directly providing support to SHSU students. The Lynn Ray Smith Memorial History Endowed Scholarship was created in memory of her brother and the Mervin Smith Memorial Education Scholarship Endowment in memory of her father.

Garrett is a leader in many organizations, serving in local and state offices for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of American Colonists. She is a national officer of the Magna Charta Dames and Barons and a member of the Mannakin Huguenot Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, United States Daughters of 1812 and the Manx Society. She has been an Eastern Star member for over 60 years.

Her dedication to civic engagement earned her state recognition when she was commissioned a “Yellow Rose of Texas” by Gov. Rick Perry, an award given to honor Texas women for outstanding volunteer and community service.

S tate Re . Lois Kol horst

Around 2007 when rumblings in the state legislature suggested that Sam Houston State University could potentially be renamed—Bearkats did not take it lightly. The topic became an emotional issue for many students and alumni, who rallied with letters, legislator contacts and opinion editorials sent to state newspapers.

“It is dishonorable to Sam Houston. I think he would turn over in his grave if he found that this was going on,” said John McManners, the university’s alumni association president at that time.

Fortunately, the university had a friend in the legislature. A bill that would preserve the name of Sam Houston State University was made possible thanks to the work of State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham.

Kolkhorst co-authored House Bill 1418, which passed in the Texas House without objection in 2007, was signed by Governor Rick Perry and prevented the Texas State University System’s board of regents from ever changing SHSU’s name. She said it was community support that drove her to get the bill through the House.

“I was honored and surprised by the number of letters, phone calls and e-mails from people all across the nation who were either graduates of the university or admirers of the man and his achievements,” Kolkhorst said.

Co-authored a House Bill preventing Changing SHSU’s name.

M a ing HER S tory

SHSU’s student newspaper, the Houstonian, has a rich history dating back to 1913. More than 1,000 students have passed through the newsroom since then including the first seven Houstonian editors who happen to all be women. Considering the era and the field (still dominated by men), it was likely surprising to find many females in the role. Today, while women outnumber men in journalism programs and in colleges, they represent just 41.8 percent of newsroom employees, according to the 2019 diversity survey by the American Society of News Editors.★ The Houstonian’s female leaders: Hallie Harris, 1913 Margaret Eastham, 1914 Ethel Eddins, 1915 Sallie Mallory, 1916 Claire Ashford, 1917 May Perry, 1918 Minerva Vickers, 1920

Hallie Harris, Margaret Eastham