Dear Colleagues,
As Chancellor John Sharp has stated countless times in recent years, this is the Golden Age of Tarleton State University. Today’s Texas A&M System Board of Regents meeting served as a fitting illustration of the rapid progress we continue to make daily, with notable approvals including an expansion of our residence hall options and a significant naming agreement.
As three construction projects near completion, another will soon begin. We have received approval for construction to start on a new $120 million five-story residence hall on Lillian Street featuring nearly 1,000 beds. Shovels are scheduled to break ground on the project this summer. Constructing additional multi-story residential housing facilities on our Stephenville campus is a key part of our master plan. As we strive to provide more of our Texans a true residential college experience, negotiations for two strategic properties near campus were also approved to move forward.
Additionally, we will be amending our master lease for student housing agreement with Fireside District Apartments to help meet current student housing needs before our future on-campus options become a reality. The new lease would add beds to our current total for the 2025-26 academic year and increase the overall number of beds to 180 for 2026-27 and 2027-28.
We are also excited to share that the regents have approved our agreement with EECU for the naming rights to our new $120 million event center that is scheduled to officially open in August. The EECU Center will host NCAA Division I basketball and provide room for events including symposiums, conferences, concerts and conventions. EECU is a not-for-profit credit union with over 292,000 members that has been serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for more than 90 years.
For 125 years, Tarleton State has provided an affordable, first-class education to prepare students to achieve excellence in all areas of their lives. With those ideals guiding the way, we are on a clear path to being the premier comprehensive university in the nation.
Meaningful contributions like yours ensure that our institution continues to soar. Thank you for your efforts this academic year. Kindall and I hope you have a safe and enjoyable summer.
We also want to express our gratitude to Chancellor Sharp before he retires at the end of June for his steadfast support of Tarleton State University. With his backing, our institution has thrived, and we look forward to working with new Chancellor Glenn Hegar to keep our momentum going.
As always, may you forever Bleed Purple!
Dr. James Hurley
President