Highlights from the August 2024 board meeting

Dear Texas Woman’s Colleagues,

I am delighted to share some highlights from the Texas Woman's University System Board of Regents August 2024 quarterly meeting. For those interested, a full recording is available on the regent’s site.

First, I want to celebrate a significant milestone for our leadership team. Provost Angela Bauer completed her first board meeting, marking a new chapter in our academic story, and I am thrilled to see her leadership in action. We also welcomed new members to our executive team: Henry Torres, Ph.D., our chief information officer; Tony Sanchez, our chief human resources and people officer; and Monica Williams, Ph.D., the inaugural Houston campus president. Each brings a wealth of experience and a shared commitment to our university’s mission. Finally, this was the first meeting of Houston-based Student Regent Maya Landgrebe.

Provost Bauer introduced the remarkable work of Lee Brown, Ph.D., a distinguished faculty member whose expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing our visibility in this burgeoning field. Recognized as one of the top 75 AI leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Dr. Brown presented on the transformative role of AI. He showed how our faculty’s work not only enhances the learning environment but also prepares our students with essential AI skills that are increasingly in demand. Dr. Brown shared research in the literature illustrating how employees who effectively integrate AI into their workflows can see productivity gains of 20-80%, making this training vital as we prepare our students to thrive in the future workforce.

Next, the regents turned their attention to enrollment trends (at the 1:09 mark). While higher education, in general, continues to grapple with the U.S. Department of Education’s overhaul of the FAFSA and its impact on enrollment, the outlook for the fall has some bright spots. We are projecting a 23% increase in new graduate enrollment and a 7% rise in First Time in College (FTIC) enrollment. Despite these increases, decreases in continuing students and many degree completions leave us with overall semester credit hours expected to be flat for fall 2024.

The budget report (at the 1:50 mark) started from last year’s budget and focused on incremental changes in revenue and expenses. The increased expenses for the year included promotion and tenure, fixed costs (e.g., insurance, energy), investments in innovative academic programs and changes to meet accreditation requirements, faculty equity adjustments, graduate assistantships, academic advisors, and the QEP. As credit hours continue to decrease or remain flat and expenses continue to rise, we have to pull from our reserves this year to balance the budget. However, investment in new academic programs is critical to generating growth.

The regents approved emeriti status for ten faculty members and seven staff members, honoring their lasting contributions to our university.

In the realm of athletics (at the 1:08 mark), our students continue to excel not just in competition and the classroom but in their communities. TWU Athletics now ranks fourth out of 304 programs in NCAA DII for community service, with our athletes dedicating over 2,600 hours to more than 100 organizations. Furthermore, 94 Pioneers earned a spot on the Spring 2024 LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, showcasing our commitment to a ‘whole-person’ educational experience. I am also pleased to welcome Jessica Ransom as our new head volleyball coach and look forward to seeing how she will build on our tradition of excellence.

For the brightest highlight of all, the regents approved naming of The Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship to honor the extraordinary contributions of Merrilee Kick to her alma mater, including her record-breaking gift. Merrilee joined us on campus for the board meeting. In her remarks, she stated that “a good teacher makes all the difference” and commended faculty members Drs. Crews and Raisinghani for their mentorship.

In my closing report (at the 1:34 mark), I shared one photo memory for each of my past ten years at Texas Woman’s—the evolution of the university through my eyes and how reflecting on the past can help us predict the future. It was a 15-minute glimpse at how small steps over time can result in transformations. In closed session, the regents considered my evaluation and were complimentary about our remarkable progress even over the past year, but they agreed to my request not to change my compensation since we all agreed to a larger merit raise in 2023-34 and to no salary increases during 2024-25. I am grateful for their trust in my leadership and insistence that the best is yet to come.

This year is truly shaping up to be monumental for Texas Woman’s, and I am honored to share this journey with each of you. Thank you for your continued support as we achieve new heights together.

With a pioneering spirit,

Carine M. Feyten
Chancellor and President

Page last updated 3:47 PM, August 12, 2024