The Texas Tech University System board of regents met on for the second time ever on Feb. 29. The meeting was the board’s first trip back to Wichita Falls since a 2021 special session in which it announced JuliAnn Mazachek as the sole finalist for MSU president.
“We’re so excited to be here, and it’s so great for our board to have the opportunity to be on each of our campuses and to be at Midwestern,” regent Shelley Sweatt said.
The visit began with board members touring part of MSU. Their first stop was Centennial Hall, where MSU President Stacia Haynie spoke briefly about Gunn College’s programs.
From there, the tour moved to McCoy Hall before concluding in the Bridwell Activity Center. In the BAC, Haynie emphasized the school’s hopes to utilize the currently-empty upstairs space as an office dedicated to coordinating education for students from Sheppard Air Force Base.
Sweatt emphasized the tour’s ability to let the board of regents to get a feel for MSU.
“We just took a tour of our amazing facility, the campus, and getting to see students, getting to see the labs and classrooms and all of the spaces, it helps bring a personality. And every campus has its own personality. And I think for the board of regents, it gives them a context as we’re discussing different issues within the system and the opportunities. When they have kind of a face to put with the name, it just helps to make it more personable,” Sweatt said.
Shortly after the tour, the regents arrived in CSC Comanche to begin the meeting. President Haynie the president’s report. She used the opportunity to highlight several of MSU’s strong points, including its honors and first-generation scholar programs.
From there, the meeting turned to financial reports, followed by confirming the promotion of a slew of professors across the TTU System.
Provost Margaret Brown Marsden then detailed plans to add a handful of new degrees.
McCoy College will add a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in industrial technology. Additionally, the school will begin offering a bachelor’s of science in political science.
Other items on the agenda included a new degree in event management for Texas Tech, a new Texas Tech master’s in resource management, university audits and approval of funds for facility projects. The next TTUS board of regents meeting is scheduled for May 9 in Lubbock.
