East Texas A&M University could cross the 14,000-student mark this fall as the university continues to grow its enrollment, research ambitions and presence in Dallas, President Mark Rudin told faculty and staff Tuesday morning.
Rudin delivered his annual Fall Assembly ahead of the university’s first day of classes Thursday, using the address to preview the semester and lay out several priorities for the year ahead.
The most immediate news was enrollment.
East Texas A&M had projected certified fall enrollment of about 13,300 students. Rudin said a count he received Tuesday morning showed local enrollment already at approximately 13,800, with the possibility of another 500 students enrolling.
“We could eclipse 14,000,” Rudin said.
He said the growth has come despite higher admissions standards and an increase in the number of applicants the university has declined.
“We have a lot of folks that want to come to this university,” Rudin said. “But we also have to manage this growth.”
Graduate enrollment has also climbed back above 3,000 students for the first time in several years, he said.
Research ambitions come with a nearer-term goal
Rudin said East Texas A&M expects to finish the current fiscal year with between $7.1 million and $7.4 million in research expenditures.
While he again referenced the long-term ambition of reaching Carnegie R1 research status, Rudin acknowledged that moving from roughly $7 million in research expenditures to the level required of the nation’s highest-research universities would be a substantial undertaking.
Instead, he identified $20 million as a more immediate target, saying reaching that level could make East Texas A&M eligible for additional state research funding.
“There’s going to be interim steps here that we can continue to move the ball forward in research,” Rudin said.
The university also begins the semester with a new vice president for research and economic development, Mustafa Michail, who comes to East Texas A&M from Idaho State University.
Rudin makes the case for Dallas
Rudin spent part of the assembly defending and promoting the university’s continued expansion in Dallas.
He acknowledged hearing questions from employees about why a university based in Commerce continues to devote resources to programs more than an hour away.
His answer was student access.
Rudin highlighted students who use the Dallas location because it allows them to remain closer to jobs, family obligations or professional opportunities while pursuing an East Texas A&M degree.
“It’s quite possible these three would not come and be students at East Texas A&M University if it wasn’t for the Dallas site,” he said.
Rudin said the university will renew its push in Dallas while continuing its investment in Commerce.
A two-day ‘fall break,’ but not for everyone
One change to the academic calendar drew an enthusiastic response from some in the auditorium: East Texas A&M will hold no classes Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8-9.
Rudin described the experiment as a fall break and said the dates were selected in part to align with Commerce ISD, where students will be out of school Oct. 5-9. Commerce ISD teachers have exchange days Oct. 5-6 and holidays Oct. 7-9.
The alignment is incomplete for university employees, however. Rudin emphasized that East Texas A&M staff will still report to work Oct. 8-9, and the dates are not included on the university’s employee holiday schedule.
That means the new break provides students and classroom faculty a two-day interruption in the instructional schedule, but employees who may themselves have children home during Commerce ISD’s break are not being given the same days off.
Rudin characterized the change as a trial and said the university will evaluate it after the semester.
“This is the time of year our students maybe need a little break,” he said. “Our faculty need a little break.”
Budget pressure accompanies growth
Rudin also outlined financial pressures facing the university.
East Texas A&M is entering its fifth consecutive year without an increase in tuition or academic fees. Rudin said the cumulative increase in higher-education costs during that period has been approximately 28%, forcing the university to absorb tens of millions of dollars in higher expenses.
The university is also dealing with an estimated $7.5 million in roof repairs following hail damage, including a $2.5 million insurance deductible.
At the same time, Texas universities have been instructed to reduce certain state funding requests by 3% as state leaders prepare for the next legislative session.
Despite those pressures, Rudin said the administration believes it has a path toward permanent merit increases for faculty and staff this year, rather than one-time payments.
‘Lion Made’
Rudin closed by introducing a new university marketing campaign called “Lion Made.”
Developed after interviews with students, prospective students and alumni, the campaign uses messages including “Be known. Be challenged. Belong.” Rudin said he wants East Texas A&M to become more assertive in telling its story as the institution grows.
“We ought to walk with a little bit of swagger,” he said.
The campaign will appear in university advertising, social media and campus signage and will be featured in a 30-second commercial during East Texas A&M’s Aug. 29 football game against Mercer on ESPN.
For Rudin, the marketing push is intended to reflect a university that increasingly sees itself as competing on a larger stage.
“We have to do a better job in representing who we are,” he said.
