Top Ten Moments: October 2022

We spent an unforgettable day at the Sacred Springs Pow Wow on the shores of Spring Lake, the longest continually inhabited land in North America. Thousands gathered to celebrate cultures from across Native America.

I had the honour of traveling to Washington, D.C. to accept the prestigious Seal of Excelencia on behalf of TXST. Receiving the seal validates that our evidence-based approach to supporting Hispanic students (and all students) is making a difference.

In D.C., we visited a TXST graduate who manages the Blair House, one of the most exclusive hotels in America, where official guests of POTUS stay. We also gathered with local alumni in a home once owned by President Teddy Roosevelt.

Members of the newly-launched Presidential Commission on the Run to R1 gathered at TXST’s sprawling research site in the Hill Country, Freeman Ranch, to accelerate our progress toward R1.

Bobcat Stadium was packed with one of its largest crowds ever, and our fans and alumni were electric as we soundly defeated the Mountaineers. What a night!

Our TXST community stepped up donations to the annual fundraising campaign with record-high contributions. One of the projects Beth and I supported was First Gen Proud, which serves students who are the first in their families to attend college.

More than 400 students, faculty, and staff joined our inaugural cookout on the Round Rock Campus. It was a joyful afternoon spent connecting with our Round Rock Bobcats.

I went on a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the most exceptional, life-saving research centers in the country, the TXST Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, which provides in-person and virtual reality active shooter response training.

I want to create more opportunities to hear directly from students about their experiences, feedback, and ideas. So, I invited all students to join me for casual, small group discussions at “Kindle with KDamp.” (Did you know “kindle” means a group of Bobcats?)

Cheering on our softball team as they defeated UT-Austin was exhilarating! That 8-7 win went 10 innings. Beth and I can’t wait to watch more softball games in the spring.