FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 25, 2022

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Texas A&M University System has named Tarleton State University’s Kim McCuistion the Associate Vice Chancellor and inaugural Director for its downtown Fort Worth research and academic campus.

Currently Dean of Tarleton’s Fort Worth campus on Chisholm Trail Parkway and Vice President for External Operations, Dr. McCuistion begins her new duties June 1. Dr. Karen Murray will oversee Tarleton-Fort Worth as well as locations in Waco, Midlothian and Bryan while the university searches for a new leader.

Representatives of the A&M System, the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the economic development nonprofit Fort Worth Now signed a memorandum last fall outlining aspirations. The shared vision is to create a collaborative hub for key Fort Worth industries and A&M’s top research, education and workforce training resources.

The three-building project, to rise in phases, will be near the Fort Worth Convention Center and anchored by a new Texas A&M University School of Law. It should spur business and jobs in one of the fastest growing regions in the nation and multiply life-changing discoveries in everything from communications to biotechnology.

“Dr. McCuistion has the leadership and vision to grow our Fort Worth research and academic campus into something great,” said A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. “We made a Texas-sized commitment to Fort Worth, and we will keep that promise.”

Tarleton, Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M Health Science Center and five A&M System agencies have been tapped to propel academic and research programs that meet the challenges of North Central Texas.

After more than 40 years in Fort Worth, Tarleton moved to its permanent 80-acre home on Chisholm Trail Parkway in 2019. In March the university broke ground for a second building, set to open in 2024. At more than 100,000 square feet of classroom and specialized lab space, the $66 million Interprofessional Education Building will address the region’s two most pressing needs — increased access to quality healthcare and education.

“With a well-established campus in Southwest Fort Worth and nationally acclaimed academic and research programs, our university is a perfect fit for this innovative partnership with the A&M System,” said Tarleton President James Hurley. “Dr. McCuistion has been instrumental in helping us grow in Fort Worth. She knows the territory. She’s the perfect person to lead the charge.”

Dr. McCuistion joined Tarleton in 2018 as Chief of Staff to the university president following 11 years with Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She had a split appointment there with the Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management. She served three years as Interim Dean of Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Honors College.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University, a master’s in animal science from Kansas State University and a doctorate in agriculture from West Texas A&M University.

“It is an honor to serve Tarleton and now to help expand the A&M System footprint,” she said. “Working with city and county leaders, industry partners and A&M universities and agencies, we will create an ecosystem of research excellence and robust entrepreneurship — I have no doubt.”

About The Texas A&M University System

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $9.6 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.