Service and diversity. Those were the two main themes that new Texas State University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse talked about with the Rotary Club of San Marcos on Wednesday. Most observers would immediately highlight the university’s growth over the last few decades, but through that growth has come an increase in diversity in both demographics and academic offerings.
“The diversity of our campus is changing tremendously,” Damphousse said. “Several years ago ... we saw the changing demographics of the state and decided that we would become what’s known as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The bar for that is 25% of your student body being Hispanic. Well, that was already kind of happening, but we set a target for 2014. By 2012, we already hit that target. So by 2012, 25% of our student body was Hispanic and that was matching the growth and the change in Texas. This past fall semester, for the first time, the largest demographic on our campus is Hispanic — 44% of our student body is Hispanic — and Texas is kind of looking that way.”
As the university continues to evolve Damphousse said it will have to focus on service to its students as well.
