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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
We cannot allow COVID-19 to define our fate. We must create it.
2020 was a year like no other. Packed with success, as always, but full of exceptional challenges.
We worked with more than 50 area high schools to create pathways to Tarleton, transitioned to NCAA Division I, expanded lab facilities at the Agriculture Center, opened a new Engineering Building, created the Leadership and Military College, launched our first PhD and started planning a second building on our Fort Worth campus.
While many universities saw sharp declines, Tarleton scored record enrollment. Summer saw a 10.9 percent growth over the previous year, and fall numbers increased more than 6 percent for a record 14,022 students. The incoming freshman class was up almost 10 percent from last year at 2,276. More than 5,000 members of the Texan family reported an ethnicity other than white.
In an unprecedented time for higher education, we’re growing.
And all of this as we continue to navigate a pandemic, plan strategically for the next decade and prepare for reaffirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
I am profoundly grateful for our students, who met the demands of rapid change with resilience and purpose. For our faculty, who quickly adopted teaching methods to create a top-shelf online learning experience. For our staff, who worked tirelessly to support students, faculty and one another; and to our alumni, who continue to contribute their time and talents in myriad ways to support our community and the world.
The future will look a little different, but no question, better days lie ahead. One thing is certain: Tarleton State University is determined to expand access, opportunity and innovation for current and future Texans. To become the premier comprehensive regional university in the nation.
