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THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2020 VOLUME 94 ■ ISSUE 34

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SPORTS

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@DailyToreador

OPINIONS

ONLINE

INDEX

R a n g e r s o rg a n i z a t i o n v isit s Lubbock, discusses future.

Breaking down pros and cons of Super Bowl LIV.

Check out The DT’s Word on the Street today by following us on social media.

PG 5

PG 4

ONLINE

SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU

5 4 3 5 5

CAMPUS Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech, discusses the year ahead and the progress Tech has made over the last decade. Schovanec is entering his fifth year as president. AUDREY KERR/The Daily Toreador

Schovanec discusses year ahead, Tech’s growth over last decade

By AUSTIN WATTS Editor-in-Chief

With the start of a new year and new decade, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec took time to sit down and discuss the goals of the university in the coming year, while also reflecting on the previous decade of growth. “I think when you talk about your priorities and goals for the coming year you look back at what you’ve just done,” Schovanec said. “What you felt represented progress, where there is a need for improvement.” In 2010, the total enrollment at Tech was reported as 31,637, according to the TTU Institutional Research website. Over the last decade, enrollment has grown nearly 9,000 students, as Schovanec expects total enrollment to be near 40,000. “We’ve had record enrollment,” Schovanec said, “but more importantly I think

w a s the fact that we set a record for first year retention, five year graduation rate and four year graduation rate, so it has been a priority of Texas Tech for many years to emphasize the student experience and student success, and that’s going to continue to be a priority in the coming year.” Despite record enrollment, Schovanec stressed the importance of continuing to expand and grow the diversity at Tech in the coming years. “Diversity has increased significantly over the years but we need to do a better job,” Schovanec said. “Maybe intensify our efforts to recruit students of color. You know we are a Hispanic serving institution, with around 28% Hispanic, and around seven percent African American, black students.” Over the winter break, a racist video circulated on social media, and as part of the university’s reaction, Schovanec said he had several discussions with the Black Student Association on how to make the campus more racially diverse moving forward. “Those discussions were led

by the Black Student Association,” Schovanec said. “We will be initiating some new recruitment practices and measures to reach out to those schools where we have a great representation of African American black students, but also all student groups to which we will add to the diversity of the campus.” Another area Schovanec said Tech will continue to focus on is the student debt crisis. Last year, Tech had nearly 3,300 freshmen that were recipients of the Presidential Scholarship, which aims to reduce the cost of tuition among firstyear students. “We had more than 3,300 freshmen (in 2019) who were Presidential Scholars,” Schovanec said. “Received presidential scholarships were about 1,000 in 2016. We are increasingly focused on trying to support students of need who don’t have the resources necessary to think that Texas Tech is in their future.” As student debt continues to be a hot topic in America, Schovanec said there has been talks on the ways that Tech can aim to help reduce the amount of debt the average student incurs. “At the conclusion of the legislative session we talked about what we can do to be an example statewide and nationwide as to how Texas Tech is trying to address the issue of student debt,” Schovanec said. “Financial support that I’ve just described as part of that but also providing students with opportunities to improve their financial literacy, making sure

that we do everything we can to see them graduate as quickly as possible because the longer you’re here, the more debt you’ll accumulate.” To better understand the goals for the year ahead, Schovanec reiterated the Tech system accomplishments of the year prior, which included the groundbreaking of the School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo.

I think when you talk about your priorities and goals for the coming year you look back at what you’ve just done.” LAWRENCE SCHOVANEC TECH PRESIDENT “Chancellor Tedd Mitchell has referred to the last legislative session as the most consequential in 50 years,” Schovanec said, “and why is that we were very successful in achieving the goals we set out. Going into that session each component of the system had their priorities. For instance, in El Paso with the Health Sciences Center, it was to move forward with the dental school.” The SVM had its groundbreaking in Sep. 2019, with classes to begin in the fall of 2021. The SVM is the culmination of years of work, with former System Chancellor Robert Duncan discussing the project back in 2015.

SEE SCHOVANEC, PG. 3

FOOTBALL

Director of communications reflects on time with Mahomes By MAX HENGST Sports Editor

With former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II set to start in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, Tech Athletics Director of Communications Matt Dowdy reflected on his time with the superstar. When Dowdy first met Mahomes, he said the confidence Mahomes had was glaring. Whether Mahomes was asked to do something on the field or media related, he was always comfortable with the situation. “He had the mentality of someone who grew up in a major league clubhouse. The spotlight was never too big for him,” Dowdy said. “I just remember early on in his career, just the confidence and that type of personality he had.”

I mean, he’s just a good person. That’s just who Pat is, and it’s hard not to like a guy like that. MATT DOWDY TECH ATHLETICS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Mahomes is most known for his work on the football field, being the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player and AP Offensive Player of the Year. What some may not know is he used to also play baseball for Tech. In 2015, Mahomes was a member of both the football and baseball team. To be able to play both sports, the football team worked its spring practices around the baseball team’s schedule as he was in competition to be the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback. “I remember our coaches raving before he was even on the team and when he was on the team about the talent he had,” Dowdy said. “Very talented, could play multiple positions for you. He could probably play in the outfield. I think they looked at him for third base. He could pitch. I mean he had a great arm. He had a great feel for the game. He had been around the game his whole life.” Despite being the son of a former MLB player, Mahomes and his family weighed out the superstar’s options in 2016. He then decided to dedicate his time solely to the football team. “The funny thing is, in 2016 we ended up going to Omaha for the second time in program history,” Dowdy said. “Pat very well could have been on that team that year and made them probably even better. But he ultimately made a pretty wise decision between him, his

Former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II drops back for a pass against Texas in 2016 at Jones AT&T Stadium. Four years later, Mahomes is set to start at QB for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

family and our baseball staff. I remember coach Tadlock saying in a quote we put in a press release, ‘We completely get it.’ That’s the type of person coach Tadlock is too.” The decision seemed right for Mahomes as he threw for a career-high 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns in his 2016 season, according to sports-reference.com. Mahomes ranked first in the NCAA with his passing yard total and touchdowns responsible for with 53. His 2016 campaign led to him being drafted as the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. One of Dowdy’s favorite memories of Mahomes was after Tech’s

game against Oklahoma when the junior quarterback broke the NCAA record for most passing yards in a single game with 734. During the game, Mahomes was hurt in some sort of fashion and continued to play through the second half, Dowdy said.

SEE MAHOMES, PG. 6


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