A message from SFA’s Office of the President
Aug. 18, 2022 - 5:01 p.m.
Dear Colleagues,
I enjoyed seeing everyone at our annual Welcome Back Meeting this morning! I was told more than 150 others also joined us on the livestream. The start of a new academic year is always a hopeful and energizing time for me – thanks for being part of that today.
For those who may not have been able to attend the meeting or join us online, I want to share two of the primary topics on which I presented this morning: the evaluation of affiliating with a university system and the search for the new president. As I mentioned in the presentation, the timing of the presidential search is contingent upon the timing and results of the system affiliation evaluation.
As you may be aware, SFA is not affiliated with any of the seven university systems in Texas. We are one of two remaining unaffiliated universities, the other being Texas Southern University. Several university systems have made informal inquiries over the years regarding our willingness to evaluate the potential benefit to our university of being a system member.
These inquiries have continued, and our Board of Regents will be engaging with representatives of those systems that have expressed interest to determine if affiliation is beneficial to SFA prior to launching a presidential search.
Although the decision regarding affiliation ultimately rests with the Board of Regents, I have been asked to develop an organized and comprehensive process to gather input from our campus community and our alumni that will be provided to them prior to their decision. I outlined in detail this morning what that process is and the timelines involved. The timing of the upcoming legislative session (any affiliation with a system would require enabling legislation) necessitates a brisk and deliberate pace.
If you were unable to attend or view the meeting this morning I hope you will take a few minutes and watch the recording.
Again, I appreciate all you do for our students and each other every day!
Axe 'em!
Steve Westbrook '81 & '89