Progress

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  • Our bold initiatives are beginning to ignite enrollment growth. The areas of focus beyond San Marcos have included growing the Round Rock Campus and expanding our presence online, regionally, and internationally. These efforts will be augmented by a strategic recruitment plan set to be rolled out in Fall 2024. As of July 22, our enrollment is 7% ahead of last year’s record pace (SCH production is up 8%).  

    Online

    We are advancing toward our goal of providing high-quality, affordable, and workforce-relevant online degree programs. In the last year, for example:  

    We partnered with Risepoint (formerly Academic Partnerships) to market TXST’s accelerated online programs to students throughout the U.S. In Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, we will launch 41 online degree programs. By Summer 2025, we expect online enrollment to approach between 1,000 to 1,500 students.  

    We partnered with Podium Education to offer the TXST Global Career Accelerator, a for-credit, online program that equips undergraduates with in-demand skills and real-world experiences to prepare them for high-growth careers in the digital economy.  

    Other major projects currently underway:  

    • We are working with Higher Education International, LLC, to market and drive enrollment into our new accelerated online programs to students outside the U.S.  
    • We are finalizing plans to offer short semester (“mini-mester”) courses, which will provide flexible learning options during the winter and the spring-summer (May) breaks. These courses will be available either online or study abroad. The planned launch for the “Winter-mester” is 2024 and for the “May-mester” is 2025.  
    • We are working with Coursera to offer Bachelor of Science degree programs in Information Technology and Data Analytics.   

    Regional

    TXST’s College of Applied Arts will offer a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science in Aviation Sciences beginning in Fall 2024. Coast Flight Training will provide the pilot training at the San Marcos Regional Airport.  Demand for the program exceeded our expectations with 28 students enrolled.  

    We have partnered with Collin College to begin offering TXST degrees on their Allen Technical Campus. Over the next two years, we will begin co-enrolling students into Bachelor of Science degree programs in:  

    • Computer Science,  
    • Electrical Engineering (with a computer engineering concentration),  
    • Engineering Technology (with an electrical engineering concentration), and  
    • Exercise Science (with a clinical laboratory concentration).  

    We are exploring similar partnerships with community colleges across the state, including Alamo Colleges District, Dallas College, San Jacinto College, Northeast Lakeview College, Lone Star College, and Laredo College.  

    International

    Historically, about 95% of our students have been from Texas. While we remain committed to serving Texans, we also want to expand our global impact. Our initial efforts in the summer of 2022 fueled record growth in international enrollment for two consecutive years.  

    In the last year, we have finalized contracts with 44 international recruiting agencies, and we are at various stages of completing more than 35 international projects, including:  

    • Creating summer and winter study abroad hubs with international universities in countries such as Scotland, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.  
    • Creating online and in-person English as a Second Language programs.  
    • Opening a passport office on the San Marcos Campus.  
    • Creating 2+2 and 3+1 undergraduate and 1+1 graduate programs across multiple disciplines with universities in India.  
    • Creating transfer programs with universities in India, Scotland, Japan, Hungary, and Germany. 
    • Starting degree programs at Elisa Education Hub in Queretaro, Mexico, beginning in Fall 2025 to offer the last two years of select degrees.  

    Our progress continues to accelerate. As of July 22, international student enrollment for Fall 2024 is 1,170 students, a 60% increase compared to this time last year (or 111% increase from where we ended in 2021).  

  • 2022-2023 Actions and Accomplishments

    • To support TXST’s global aspirations and explore online educational initiatives, President Damphousse created a Vice President for Global. After an extensive national search, Dr. Thilla Sivakumaran joined TXST to lead the new Division of TXST Global. He has set in motion several key initiatives including:  

      • Issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for domestic and international online operational management service providers to help market and recruit international and domestic students to online degree programs offered by TXST. 
      • Issuing an RFP to add approximately 50 new international recruiting agents.  
      • Creating continuing education programming for the Round Rock Campus. 
      • Preparing to launch TXST Online in Summer and Fall 2024, which will offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. 

      The latest metrics show recent strategies have made an impact:

      • Online: Today, we offer nearly 150% more sections online than we did pre-pandemic.  
      • International: As of June 2023, undergraduate applications and admits for Fall 2023 are up 520% and 241%, respectively, over last year. Graduate applications and admits are up by 6.6% and 27.6%, respectively. 

      This new global emphasis will likely include changing the Office of Distance and Extended Learning to an entrepreneurial enterprise model, conducting a holistic review of the current funding structure for online learning and international affairs, engaging with external partners to market programs to both domestic and international markets, and providing incentives and strategic planning guidelines for degree programs to redesign face-to-face or hybrid programs to be fully online, scalable programs that can be marketed to large student populations.  

    • Texas State has experienced notable success in implementing the following enrollment initiatives:

      • Added a second undergraduate application option (the “Common App”). We have received 16,200+ common applications for Fall 2023, and have seen significant increases in out-of-state and international freshman applications. 
      • Optimized our scholarship plan to remain competitive. The number of accepted First Time in College merit awards are up 12.8%. 
      • Implemented a new transfer scholarship program. The overall scholarship acceptance rate has increased 11%. 
      • Developed new transfer articulation agreements with community colleges and external partnerships with public schools.
      • Added additional graduate student recruitment events (e.g., online information sessions, fairs, and outreach to institutions without graduate degree programs). 
      • Raised the annual cap TXST pays through international recruiting agencies from $150,000 to $1 million. Costs associated with international student recruitment are recuperated through tuition. 
      • Merged marketing and communications units into their own division under the leadership of a new Cabinet-level position, the vice president for marketing and communications, held by Sandy Pantlik.

      Recruitment efforts are paying off. The latest available application data indicate we are on track for a record-breaking enrollment this fall. Other successes to celebrate include:  

      • For the first time in our history, TXST is first among Texas universities in freshman applications submitted through “Apply Texas” for Fall 2023. 
      • Attendance at Bobcat Days, our premier open house event, was the highest ever recorded. Combined, attendance at our four Bobcat Day events for 2022-2023 was 7,085 prospective students, a 42% increase over 2021-2022. 
      • “Bring Bobcats Back,” a unique recruitment program for stop-outs, enrolled 143 former Bobcats this summer and 247 are registered for Fall 2023.