About Dr. James Hurley
Dr. James Hurley was unanimously appointed the 16th President of Tarleton State University in August 2019 by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents. Since his arrival, Tarleton State has become one of the country’s fastest growing comprehensive public universities with an impressive 60% increase in enrollment growth, reaching over 21,000 for Fall 2025. The university has set new records in student success, fundraising, research expenditures, state support, and national prominence.
Under Dr. Hurley’s leadership, the university created and implemented Tarleton State Forward 2030: Our Future-Focused Strategic Plan, a blueprint for becoming the premier comprehensive public university in the nation. During his time, Tarleton State has elevated its profile in academics, research, enrollment, retention rates, graduation rates, fundraising, athletics, and regional engagement. Money magazine has named Tarleton State one of the “Best Colleges in America” four straight years.
His ability to maximize revenue and resource generation efforts have served as a force-multiplier for the university’s momentum. This includes a 49.6% increase in state appropriations over the last three legislative bienniums, increased formula funding from record enrollment growth, innovative student funding models, accelerated degree completion, improved operational efficiency, and record fundraising. Dr. Hurley has launched the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Tarleton State’s history titled “Always, Texan,” setting a goal of raising $450 million. Previously, the university shattered a $100 million goal in 2022, two years ahead of schedule, raising nearly $150 million to commemorate its 125th anniversary.
Dr. Hurley’s efforts to advance research and innovation endeavors have increased research expenditures by 120%, helping earn Tarleton State the elevated designation of High Research Spending and Doctorate Production by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This puts the university among only 139 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 industrial collaboration and more research dollars to the state, a state-of-the-art Research and Economic Development Building was recently opened in 2024.
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.
With impressive growth in the student population, the university has continued to build and enhance its infrastructure under Dr. Hurley. In 2024, Tarleton State opened a best-in-class, $76 million Interprofessional Education Building at the Fort Worth Campus. Then, in 2025, an $80 million Health Professions Building opened in Stephenville to help meet the need for healthcare professionals. In 2026, a 10,000 square foot expansion of the Dick Smith Library opened, providing a 24/7 modern academic space for students. Additionally, a new residence hall is under active construction. The $125 million EECU Center opened Fall 2025, with the venue prepared to host NCAA Division I basketball and provide room for academic convocations, symposiums, conferences, and conventions. In total, during Dr. Hurley’s tenure, the university has received over $750 million in new construction and infrastructure enhancements.
President Hurley’s cultivation of broad and deep connections has resulted in a student body featuring over 232 Texas counties, 50 states, and 50 countries. Tarleton State ranks third among Texas colleges and universities for in-state counties represented across the student body. 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. His Tarleton Promise scholarship provides tuition, fees, and books to students who exhaust federal and state financial aid. Additionally, the recently launched Tarleton Today is a dual-enrollment program allowing high-achieving students to earn college credit while in high school.
In 2026, Insight Into Academia magazine named Dr. Hurley a Trailblazer in Higher Education, recognizing his bold strategic innovations and institutional excellence nationwide. In 2025, Fort Worth Inc. once again named Dr. Hurley to its list of the 500 most influential people in Fort Worth. In 2024, he received the prestigious United States Congressional Patriot Award from Congressman Pat Fallon for his positive contributions to society through higher educational leadership. In 2022, the North Texas Commission honored him with its distinguished Education Leadership Award, recognizing his lasting impact on the region.
Dr. Hurley 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, 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, on the Fort Worth Mayor’s Council on Education and Workforce Development, and on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
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 academic leader and innovator, 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 proud first-generation college graduate and the son of 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.
