Highlights from the May 2026 board meeting

Dear Texas Woman’s Colleagues,

As the spring semester has come to an end, I am pleased to share key updates from the May meeting of the Texas Woman’s University System Board of Regents. The board’s guidance continues to provide strategic direction for the TWU community.

Below are a few highlights from the board meeting, and you can watch the entire meeting on the website.

Alumni Engagement, Philanthropy and Research Grants

The Enrollment Report indicates positive momentum for Texas Woman's University, despite facing intense market competition.

The JF Maddox Foundation created a $1 million endowed scholarship in honor of Mabel Maddox’s 100-year anniversary of graduating from TWU in 1926. [0:15:15]
Numerous recent events have engaged hundreds of alumni and community leaders, including the Dallas Leadership Luncheon, Health Sciences Center ribbon cutting, and Homecoming 2026. [0:18:05]
The inaugural TWU Giving Day generated $147,000 in donations from 625 unique donors. Every gift directly funded a specific student-centric initiative. [0:21:00]
The Dream Big campaign has so far raised nearly $172 million, far surpassing the original goal of $125 million. The campaign culminates in late October 2026 with a week-long Dream Big Fest. [0:28:25]

Investments in Campus Infrastructure

Strong financial stewardship allows Texas Woman’s to reinvest in its infrastructure, reducing future expenditures and improving campus amenities.

Texas Woman’s maintains an excellent Moody’s rating of Aa3, meaning that TWU bonds are “high quality” investments with high investor confidence. As a result, TWU enjoys very low interest rates, allowing university funds to go further in capital projects. [0:44:33]
The Board approved $6.3 million to complete the third and final phase of the Jones Hall renovation. This project will renovate the first-floor lobby, relocate the remaining dental hygiene staff to Jones Hall, and create a new Disability Student Services testing area and associated offices. [01:15:19]
The Board approved $15 million to improve the TWU Denton steam infrastructure. The aging steam tunnels, initially built in the 1970s, still provide heat for about eleven buildings. This project lays the groundwork to transition to independent boilers, increasing operational efficiency. [1:29:17]

Athletic Success

TWU Athletics continues to dominate competition while increasing national visibility.

All nine athletic programs made the postseason yet again this academic year. [5:51:09]
Three wrestlers finished in the top six at the NCAA regional tournament. Freshman Samaria Barnett finished fourth at the NCAA regional tournament and seventh at the USA Wrestling World Team trials. [5:51:26]
Artistic swimming finished fourth in the nation while completing routines with difficulty scores up nearly 20 points compared to last season. [5:53:03]
STUNT advanced to the Lone Star Conference (LSC) championship and the national tournament, both for the first time in program history. Senior Jasmine Monroe was selected as an All-American honorable mention athlete. [5:54:22]
Softball advanced to the LSC championship, sophomore Randi Crawford was named LSC Pitcher of the Year, and sophomore Trinity Perry was named LSC Gold Glove winner. [5:55:09]
Basketball dominated a historic season. The team finished 31–2, won the LSC championship (four consecutive years), won at least 30 games (three consecutive years), and competed in the Sweet 16 (three consecutive years). Beth Jillson won LSC Coach of the Year, and senior Gabby Elliott swept LSC accolades as Player of the Year, Academic Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. [5:57:43]
The Pioneer Pride dance team won back-to-back Division II Spirit Rally championships and secured a program-first second place in Division II Pom. [6:02:54]
Gymnastics claimed its highest score in program history in its season opener and concluded by winning the Women’s Collegiate National Championship, TWU’s 14th such win in program history. Caroline Bowns and Kylie Minyard were national champions on bars and floor, respectively. [6:06:53]

Curriculum Reviews and Academic Updates

Texas Woman’s continues to innovate curriculum to improve student outcomes and increase financial security.

Following collaborative discussions with academic deans and faculty, Academic Affairs developed plans to reduce the number of low-enrollment undergraduate course sections, offer larger lectures for specific sections, and strategically cohort graduate programs. These scheduling efficiencies will also strengthen tenured/tenure-track faculty engagement expected to result in better academic outcomes for students. [0:54:43]
TWU continues to be an innovative leader in artificial intelligence (AI). Faculty in the College of Professional Education are preparing teachers to leverage AI for their “behind-the-scenes” work. [3:10:43]
Dallas Innovates 2026 recognized Dr. Daniel Earst as one of ten “names to know” in higher education, joining Dr. Lee Brown’s recognition by the organization in 2024. [6:49:23]
Regents enthusiastically approved the creation of a new Bachelor of Business Administration in Sports Management, a high-earning degree within the Merilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship. [3:56:16]
TWU is conducting a comprehensive curriculum review to ensure neutral language framing in course descriptions. Of the 2,882 courses in the TWU catalog, 95% have been revised and submitted into workflow, with 18% having already completed every review stage. [3:30:18]
The General Education Review Committee is considering changes to the general education curriculum in compliance with SB37. The committee plans to bring final recommendations to the board in August for approval. [3:32:44]
A team of TWU kinesiology students won first place in the recent NASA-sponsored Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge, the sixth win since 2018. [6:47:58]

Dallas and Houston Strategic Plans

The strategic plans for TWU Dallas and TWU Houston continue to guide the institutions toward increased visibility and expanded educational opportunities.

The Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship will begin offering in-person business classes at TWU Dallas this fall, the first time ever the campus has offered such undergraduate classes outside the Colleges of Health Sciences and Nursing. New partnerships with Dallas ISD and high interest in certificate programs through TWU Ventures is boosting the TWU Dallas impact in Dallas. [6:20:10]
TWU Houston is gaining visibility through strategically placed signage and increased community engagement. The TWU Houston Spring 2026 commencement ceremony was held in the spacious Fort Bend Epicenter for the first time, resulting in doubled audience attendance from previous ceremonies. [6:35:08]

Leadership Updates

Texas Woman’s continues to excel by attracting, hiring, and recognizing outstanding leaders.

David Jennings was recognized for his service as student regent. [5:31:26]
Jaime Porter was granted board approval for her appointment as the Vice President for University Advancement and Alumni Engagement. [7:38:03]
The TWU Foundation Board elected four new officers: Raquel Schmitz (Chair), Jimmie Stapleton (Vice Chair), Laura Estrada (Treasurer), and Penney Pollard (Secretary). [0:14:52]
Dr. Carolyn Da Silva and Dr. Noralyn Pickens were awarded emeritus status for 29 and 19 years of service, respectively. [5:16:38]
Forty deserving faculty from all five colleges were awarded promotion and/or tenure. [5:23:27]
Faculty development leave was granted to Dr. Samuel “Carter” Biggers, Dr. Minkowan Goo, Dr. Brenda Moore, and Dr. Paul Thomas. [4:08:43]
Cecily Rodriguez, a former TWU softball player and alumna, joined the TWU Athletics department as the assistant director for development. [5:56:39]
I hosted the chancellors of the other Texas university systems at a luncheon at TWU Denton. These quarterly gatherings will help align the strategic priorities of the state’s university systems, positioning the systems to speak with a “common voice” during the upcoming legislative session. [6:55:27]
In summary, this board meeting affirms what many of us have come to expect: Texas Woman’s continues to engage alumni in new ways, maintain financial responsibility, boost our national profile with athletic success, remain committed to academic excellence, grow the impact of TWU Dallas and TWU Houston, and honor the faculty and staff leaders who push the university to new heights. Thank you for your contributions in making Texas Woman’s a premier institution to learn, teach, and work.

With a pioneering spirit,

Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.
Chancellor and President

Page last updated 9:56 AM, May 21, 2026