Dr. Hurley’s efforts to advance research and innovation endeavors have increased research expenditures by 67%, helping earn Tarleton State the elevated designation of Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This puts the university among only 133 across the country designated as high research institutions. He established and secured funding to launch multiple major research initiatives, including the President’s Excellence in Research Scholars (PERS) and the Institute for Rural Economic Development and Research. Tarleton State now operates as an EDA University Center, the only one in the region and one of just 73 nationwide. To bring new collaboration and more research dollars to the state, a state-of-the-art Research and Economic Development Building was recently opened in 2024.

With impressive growth in the student population, the university has continued to build and enhance its infrastructure under Dr. Hurley. At the start of 2024, Tarleton State broke ground on an $80 million Health Professions Building to help meet the need for healthcare professionals. Additionally, a new residence hall and an expansion of the Dick Smith Library to add a 24/7 space for students are in the works. A $110 million Event Center is also under construction, with the venue set to host NCAA Division I basketball and provide room for academic convocations, symposiums, conferences and conventions. In total, Tarleton State has over $500 million in active construction and design.

In 2024, Dr. Hurley received the prestigious United States Congressional Patriot Award from Congressman Pat Fallon for his positive contributions to society through higher educational leadership. In 2023, Fort Worth, Inc. Magazine honored him as one of the 400 most influential North Texans. In 2022, the North Texas Commission honored him with its distinguished Education Leadership Award, recognizing his lasting impact on the region.

An invitation in 2022 to join the impactful Association of Public & Land-grant Universities reflects Dr. Hurley’s commitment to groundbreaking discovery, educational access and student success. APLU membership underscores Tarleton State’s place among the top academic institutions in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

President Hurley’s cultivation of broad and deep connections has resulted in a student body featuring 228 Texas counties, 48 states and 40 countries represented. Collaborations with regional Distinguished High School Partners and two-year Distinguished College Partners strengthen the university’s commitment to educational attainment and affordability, offering guaranteed scholarships for qualified students. Additionally, the recently launched Tarleton Today is a dual-enrollment program allowing potential students to earn college credit while in high school with more than 3,000 participants.

Additionally, his Tarleton Promise scholarship provides tuition, fees, room and board, and books to students who exhaust federal and state financial aid. He spearheads efforts to address the state’s growing educational and workforce needs by serving on several governing boards pertaining to higher education affordability, economic development and public policy.

He currently serves on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees, which is the accrediting body for degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern United States, as Treasurer of the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors (CPUPC), as Chair of the WAC Board of Presidents, on the North Texas Commission Executive Board of Directors, and on the Fort Worth Mayor’s Council on Education and Workforce Development.

In 2019, he advanced Tarleton State to NCAA Division I status in the Western Athletic Conference. He was instrumental in the league’s expansion and in bringing championship football back to the WAC. Academically during the four-year reclassification period, the Texans set records in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate for a reclassifying institution, highlighted by posting a 990 (out of 1,000) in the first year. Competitively, the Texans have excelled on a national level, capturing multiple regular season and postseason championships.

A nationally recognized innovator and academic leader, Dr. Hurley has a lifetime of service as Instructor, Professor, Dean and Vice President. Prior to Tarleton State, he served as President of Tusculum University. Under his leadership, TU added its University Health Center, College of Health Sciences and Niswonger College of Optometry.

Dr. Hurley is a first-generation college graduate, the grandson of coal miners and a son to parents who taught him that education holds the key to a brighter future. This is the very motivation behind his lifelong advocacy in promoting higher education opportunity and supporting access for all students.

He holds a doctorate from Morehead State University, a master’s degree from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pikeville. He completed the Institute for Presidential Leadership at Harvard University and received a certificate of higher education management from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Hurley and his wife, Kindall, are the proud parents of sons Drew and Carter and daughters Blayklee and Brooklyn.