September 2023

Accolades abound in September

Dear Friends,

It is only the second month of the academic year and Texas Woman’s has already caught a windfall of good news. These achievements underscore the university’s commitment to excellence and illustrate the depth of dedication our faculty and staff have not only to their research but for making the college experience a truly rewarding one for our students.

Texas Woman’s earns coveted Seal of Excelencia

I was at a national policy forum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29 when Excelencia in Education certified Texas Woman’s with the Seal of Excelencia – demonstrating that TWU is among the nation’s leaders in intentionally serving Latino students, 44.3% of our Class of 2027. Only 39 higher education institutions have earned this coveted seal. Collectively, these colleges and universities represent less than 1% of all higher education institutions, but accounted for 17% of all Latino graduates nationwide in the most recent year. It was a thrill to be recognized for our efforts earning this certification in front of hundreds of higher education, foundation and policy leaders. Earlier this fall, Excelencia in Education named TWU’s Certificate of Biliteracy a national top five graduate program – also for intentionally serving Latino higher education students with culturally relevant, evidence-based practices.

Three publications rank TWU among nation’s best

In its 2024 “Best Colleges” guide, U.S. News & World Report ranked Texas Woman’s in the top 13% of universities for social mobility, which takes into account an institution’s ability to enroll and graduate large proportions of financially disadvantaged students and its graduation rates of first-generation students. The university also made the publication’s list of 227 “Top Public Schools” and was included on the “Best National University” list. Additionally, U.S. News recognized the university’s undergraduate nursing and psychology programs as being among the nation’s best. Just weeks earlier, Texas Woman’s was named to the top 400 institutions selected for the “Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S.” and the Forbes 2023 “America’s Top Colleges” lists. The methodologies for rankings vary, but among the considered factors are graduation rates, return on investment, alumni salaries and student debt.

University names inaugural director of aviation school

I am pleased to announce that our new Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences now has its first director: Clinton Grant. Grant, who begins his new role on Oct. 23, comes to Texas Woman’s with outstanding credentials. He currently serves as Tarrant County College’s dean of aviation, business and logistics, which includes programming for prospective professional pilots and aviation maintenance, among other areas. A pilot himself, Grant has been in higher education since 2000 and has designed curriculum and led development in the area of pilot training at Tarrant County College. He previously held aircraft maintenance positions with major commercial airlines, beginning in 1988. We expect Grant will hit the ground running, as the aviation school seeks approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to launch the program in fall 2024.

High profile women to headline leadership summit

^{From left to right: Kay Bailey Hutchison, Dawn Buckingham, Val Demings, and Ana Navarro}

Some of the nation’s top women leaders in public service will be in Denton on Oct. 12 to inspire women to pursue leadership positions of their own. The event, “Leading in the Lone Star State: Women in Public and Elected Service,” will draw on the expertise of several panelists, including U.S. Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison; Val Demings, former U.S. congresswoman and Orlando police chief; political strategist Ana Navarro; and Symone Sanders-Townsend, a political commentator and host of SYMONE on MSNBC. Other notable participants will be Emmy Award-winning journalist Lisa Ling and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. I am thrilled that the host for this event is our own Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership, and that Nelson, now the current Secretary of State, will deliver the welcoming address. I encourage everyone to register and attend.

A look back at groundbreaking/Dream Big events

In this space a month ago, I previewed the Denton launch of the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign and the groundbreaking ceremony for our new $107 million health sciences center, which will propel the university to new heights in healthcare learning, discovery and community service. We held a second leg of the campaign launch on Oct. 3 in Dallas and have another planned in Houston on Nov. 8. You may view images of the Denton and Dallas events at this link.

Lastly, I leave you with this picture of Texas Woman’s Gymnastics Associate Head Coach Kristen Harold and her children during a volleyball tailgate celebration in September. I love that our student-athletes and coaches support one another throughout the season. Both our volleyball and soccer teams got off to strong starts this season.

As always, email me with your comments or questions. I am delighted that you have spent a few minutes with me today.

Warm Regards,