{"id":26459,"date":"2020-02-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-presidents-inauguration-address-investment-research-opportunity\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:39:10","slug":"tarleton-presidents-inauguration-address-investment-research-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-presidents-inauguration-address-investment-research-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton president’s inauguration address: Investment, Research, Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dr.<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. James Hurley<\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nFriday, February 28, 2020<\/p>\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Three bold initiatives. Three priorities for a transformative tomorrow. Three major announcements at this morning\u2019s inauguration ceremony for Tarleton State University\u2019s 16th president, Dr. James L. Hurley.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A scholarship program, dubbed the Tarleton Promise, to extend funding beyond state and federal aid for high-performing students with extreme financial need. Value of the investment could top $6 million annually.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A Center for Research, Innovation and Economic Development to strengthen faculty-led student research and spur regional growth and job creation.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A comprehensive capital campaign \u2014 $100 million \u2014 to multiply student success initiatives; advance scholarship, faculty and staff development; and improve campus infrastructure.<\/p>\n

These ambitious undertakings, Hurley said, move Tarleton closer to becoming the premier comprehensive regional university dedicated to education, service and research. \u201cWe are fulfilling the mission and dream of our founder, John Tarleton, and meeting the great need for educational opportunity. We\u2019re eliminating barriers and building bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beginning this fall, Federal Pell Grant students in the top 25 percent of their high school class, or GPA equivalent, will be eligible for Tarleton Promise funding to cover the remaining cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board for up to four years. Nearly 60 percent of Tarleton students receive some form of financial assistance. Almost 40 percent are Pell Grant eligible.<\/p>\n

Private donations, along with support from the Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc. and the Chancellor\u2019s Century Council, will help fund the new scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Hurley understands the financial roadblocks to a higher education and is dedicated to helping students overcome them to achieve a university degree,\u201d said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. \u201cHe understands firsthand that a higher education improves lives for generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Texas A&M University System not only has great expectations of President Hurley, but great confidence in him. He\u2019s the right man at the right time for the right job.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his address, Hurley emphasized Tarleton\u2019s social and economic responsibility to drive regional innovation and job creation, and that the university will continue to strategically grow its research portfolio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our desire to be the foremost university in faculty-led student research at the comprehensive regional level,\u201d he said. \u201cCreation of the Center for Research, Innovation and Economic Development is a step in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurley thanked Tarleton family and friends for their generosity through the years and asked for ongoing support as the university launches the largest capital campaign in its 120-year history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need your time, talent and treasure to become the premier comprehensive regional university in the nation,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether, we can and we will!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three bold initiatives announced here today solidify our status as a national university that continues to provide life-changing, hope-lifting opportunities to the region we serve. There\u2019s no limit to what we can accomplish.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the university\u2019s 16th president, I want students from all circumstances and walks of life to have the opportunity to call Tarleton home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hurley began his tenure at Tarleton in August 2019, providing vision for a comprehensive curriculum serving more than 13,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS-Bryan and online. Prior to Tarleton, he was president of Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tenn.<\/p>\n

In his first seven months, he has partnered with area school districts to create pathways to Tarleton and initiated a Guaranteed Award Program for qualifying seniors. He signed a new memorandum of understanding with Tarrant County College and celebrated the opening of a shared space on the fifth floor of TCC\u2019s Trinity West Fork Building in downtown Fort Worth, and discussion is ongoing for the second building of Tarleton\u2019s Fort Worth location along Chisholm Trail Parkway.<\/p>\n

Effective July 2020, the Tarleton Texans join the Western Athletic Conference and transition to NCAA Division I athletics. The move will raise the university\u2019s profile and grow the value of a Tarleton degree.<\/p>\n

To watch today\u2019s ceremony, visit\u00a0http:\/\/tarletonstate.us\/watch-inauguration<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today\u2019s scholars into tomorrow\u2019s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.<\/p>\n

Contact:
\nCecilia Jacobs, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications
\n254-968-1620
\ncjacobs@tarleton.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three bold initiatives. Three priorities for a transformative tomorrow. Three major announcements at this morning’s inauguration ceremony for Tarleton State University’s 16th president, Dr. James L. Hurley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":423,"footnotes":""},"categories":[423,425,427],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-research","category-campus-community","category-science-health"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"keegan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/keegan-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2023\/10\/Spring-Flowers-Admin-Gates_7545-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Academics & Research<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>","Science & Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Academics & Research<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>","Science & Health<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 6 years ago","modified":"Updated 6 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 28, 2020","modified":"Updated on October 7, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 28, 2020 12:00 am","modified":"Updated on October 7, 2025 9:39 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Tarleton State University entrance with flags and flowers.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26459"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53142,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26459\/revisions\/53142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}