2020

President's Report

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Letter from the President

The challenges presented by COVID-19 over the last year have brought out the best of the Red Raider family and strengthened the resolve of the university. As an institution of higher learning, we shared many of the same challenges as our peers across the country, and are heartened at the collective care and compassion each has shown.

It's difficult to imagine the last year in the lives of our incoming class, the class that pushed us over 40,000 students. The pandemic forced them to complete a senior year of high school without a prom or graduation ceremony and they weren't able to take their last round of campus visits in the spring. They enrolled in classes, selected residence halls, and planned for a freshman year that could have been conducted completely online. It was through the incredible hard work and planning of so many on our campus, our faculty and staff, that made this semester a success with over two-thirds of our classes having an element of face-to-face instruction. We planned extensively for the safe and healthy return of our campus community. Behind the scenes, our more than 6,000 faculty and staff worked to execute these plans, with many adjustments along the way, so we could continue to educate and serve our students.

Texas Tech University is in a stronger position due to the monumental efforts by our entire community. The strength of our brand is evident in the increased enrollment of both undergraduate and graduate students. We have also seen increased recognition of the value of a Texas Tech education, most recently through a national corporate recruiter ranking that placed our graduates among the top ten most desirable in the country and recognized them for their work ethic and character.

We look forward to the day when our campus is alive with student activity, our stadiums and performance halls are filled with friends and family, and we can return to the simple pleasures that we've had to forgo these last many months.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Schovanec
President

Teamwork

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic

When the university transitioned away from campus due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did so together. Teamwork best exemplifies the spirit in which our students, faculty and staff successfully moved to a new way of teaching and learning. That's not to say the transition was without its challenges, but the understanding, patience and camaraderie of our community helped us all better navigate the complexities surrounding such an incredible event.

That spirit carried over into the Texas Tech community's support of one another, Lubbock and the surrounding communities, and our colleagues at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Our two institutions, along with many other community and regional partners, began a massive effort to collect and produce personal protective equipment (PPE) and other tools vital to facing this pandemic head on, and distribute them to regional rural hospitals to ensure they had the means to protect and serve their communities. Overall, more than 135,000 PPE, including 129,170 gloves, 3,236 N95 masks, 2,416 disposable gowns, and 1,430 protective eye wear.

We did so together

A Collaborative Research Response to COVID-19

Texas Tech University's Biological Threat Research Laboratory was the first lab in the state of Texas to begin testing for COVID-19 in February covering an area that spans a 67-county region in West Texas. The lab was granted $2.23 million from the Texas Department of State Health Services to continue its COVID-19-related testing through April 1, 2022. Students and faculty in the colleges of Engineering and Honors teamed up to produce 3D-printed face shields in the University Library's Makerspace, while the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics provided Under Armour headbands to hold the face shields in place. Students and faculty from other colleges also volunteered their time in the effort.

TTU Biological Threat Research Laboratory

Texas Tech Laboratory was the

First in State

to test covid-19 samples

more than

40,000

Covid-19 samples tested

We did so together

University Benchmarks

Consistently Setting New Standards

Despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued a growth trend that has made the university one of the fastest-growing institutions in the U.S. in the last 10 years.

Remarkably, it was another record year across the board, and we are grateful to all the students who put faith in our campus plans for a safe return to classes and the faculty and staff who tirelessly worked to ensure that safety, in addition to delivering an excellent level of teaching in face-to-face, virtual and hybrid settings.

12 Straight Years of Record Enrollment Growth

a total

40,322

Red Raiders Know…

a record

6,522

First-year students know…

a record

7,053

Graduate Students Know…

a record

9,030

First-Generation Students Know…

From Here,
It's Possible

™

Notable Benchmarks

a record

National Merit scholars are on campus

Marking a 10 fold increase since 2015

a record

$171 million

In Scholarships Awarded

Increasing merit- and need-based scholarships

record

87.6%

First-Year Retention Rate

record

63.3%

Six-Year Graduation Rate

record

8,572

Degrees
Conferred

record

390

Doctoral Degrees Granted

TEXAS TECH ALUMNI

Making Global Impacts

Annually, our graduates make us proud, and 2020 was no exception. We have more than 200,000 alumni living throughout the world, representing countless fields of work, but all making significant impacts in the workplace and the communities in which they live.

Two ‘Titans' From Raiderland Make Time Magazine 100

Texas Tech alumnus Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes were named two of the 100 Most Influential People of 2020 by Time magazine. Both Brown and Mahomes were listed under the "Titans" category. Brown is the first Black chief of staff of a U.S. military branch. Mahomes is the first quarterback from a Texas university to start in the Super Bowl, which his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, won in 2020.

Alumnus Leading the Effort to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines

In 2016, Texas Tech University alumnus Scott Sureddin visited students in the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business' supply chain management program to talk about the pillars of his company's 2020 strategic plan: (1) focus on best practices, (2) connect with current and prospective employees, making your company the employer of choice, and (3) always be willing to grow and develop by identifying new skills or technology, mastering them and adapting to change. Looking back at what 2020 threw at all of us, it seems incredibly prophetic, he admits. Even moreso once you know that Sureddin's company is DHL Supply Chain, the world's leading contract logistics provider and one of the firms now distributing coronavirus vaccines all over the world. DHL Supply Chain, a division of the overall DHL shipping company, specializes in getting products from manufacturers to end users. As you might imagine, the vaccine distribution plans evolve daily, but the importance of being able to adapt, Sureddin said, is timeless. It's a lesson he learned while working toward his 1987 graduation and one today's students can learn by watching it happen.

Forging Ahead

Our students have displayed a resilience throughout the pandemic that has had – and will have – an indelible effect on their successes as students and graduates, their personal growth and their development as future leaders. The pride they instill in the leadership of the institution is one of which all faculty, staff and alumni can be proud. They've persevered through this challenging time with grace and an unwavering commitment to not let anything stand in the way of their goals.

All Can be proud

Tech Students Add Championships

Texas Tech students added several championships to the trophy case in 2020, circumventing the roadblocks the pandemic placed in their paths.

All can be proud

Success On Campus Leads To Success Off Campus

Texas Tech University graduates are among the most sought after in the country, according to the Corporate Recruiter College Graduate Ranking Poll, a nationwide survey of 334 corporate business recruiters. Texas Tech ranked ninth overall, first in the state of Texas, and among the top seven APLU member institutions in the nation. The university also ranked high in other sub-categories, including business and management (13th); communications and media (eighth); engineering, computing and information technology (seventh); science and mathematics (11th); and post-graduate students (12th).

Chess Named U.S. Program of the Year

The U.S. Chess Federation named Texas Tech the 2020 Chess College of the Year after the Knight Raiders achieved a 6-0 win at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships, qualifying them for the Final Four of College Chess, which was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic.

Meat Judging Claims 15th National Title

The disruption could not slow down the Meat Judging Team from continuing its dominance, as the group from the Department of Animal & Food Sciences claimed its second-straight and 15th overall national championship.

Law Wins Arbitration Championship

Two School of Law teams traveled to the American Bar Association arbitration finals in Chicago with one claiming the ABA Arbitration Championship, the 46th overall national championship for the School of Law.

Students Prevail at Financial Planning Challenge

Long known as a national model, the personal financial planning program lived up to its reputation when the university's three-person team won the 2020 Financial Planning Challenge, part of the annual conference of the Financial Planning Association.

Faculty Achievements

Out of this world

A global pandemic couldn't disrupt the work of our faculty. As a matter of fact, it made them dig in even deeper. In a year filled with uncertainties, our faculty and researchers overcame, advancing research initiatives, impacting society and garnering national recognitions.

Alessandra Corsi

Alessandra Corsi, the President's Excellence in Research Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, was named to Science News magazine's sixth annual SN 10: Scientists to Watch. The list of 10 early- and mid-career scientists age 40 and under – all of whom are nominated by a Nobel laureate, a recently elected member of the National Academy of Sciences or an SN 10 alumnus – are chosen by the Science News staff for the potential to shape the science of the future. Corsi has become one of the pioneers of an emerging field known as multi-messenger astronomy, which combines the information garnered through ultraviolet, visible and infrared light as well as radio and gravitational waves as a way to learn about more cosmic events.

Steve Presley

Texas Tech University's Biological Threat Research Laboratory, led by Steve Presley, was the first lab in the state of Texas to begin testing for COVID-19 in February covering an area that spans a 67-county region in West Texas. The lab was granted $2.23 million from the Texas Department of State Health Services to continue its COVID-19-related testing through April 1, 2022. The laboratory has conducted more than 40,000 tests and staff have worked seven days a week for several months to engage in the demand for testing.

Brian Shannon

Brian Shannon, a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor in the School of Law, was awarded the Governor's Trophy, given by the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) within the Office of the Texas Governor. The Governor's Trophy is the committee's highest honor, awarded to the person who has achieved the highest success in enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with disabilities and recognizing long-term commitment and outstanding efforts at both the community and state level.

University Research

A Decade of Growth Continues

University researchers made substantial progress toward achieving institutional research goals, highlighted by a record $192 million in total research expenditures, a 52 percent growth over the last decade. Over that same period, restricted research expenditures have grown overall by 60.2 percent, with a 22.7 increase specifically in federal restricted research expenditures.

a record

$192 Million

in total reseach expenditures

Push for Lubbock Innovation District Ramps up

There's a new picture of Lubbock coming into focus—a place full of life, growth and opportunity, where new ideas are born and raised, and the American dream thrives. Texas Tech Research Park Inc. is a 501(c)(3) created to allow the university to build community and private-sector partnerships to support its research and professional activities. Planned for the existing research park site near Fourth Street and Quaker Avenue, the envisioned innovation district is strategically located to expand research collaborations in areas such as health, agriculture, agricultural technology and energy that are critical to the future of West Texas. In addition to the ways it's expected to transform West Texas, the innovation district also will play an important role in the fulfillment of Texas Tech's strategic priorities.

Other Research Growth Achievements

22%

increase in research proposals

44%

increase in total funds awarded

58%

increase in average amount awarded

Athletics

Game Changers

Texas Tech Athletics Perseveres Through Closures, Delays, Altered Seasons

Sports as we had known them came to an unexpected halt. Like all other schools, Texas Tech's athletic programs adapted to deal with COVID-19 shutdowns and new protocols. New playing and practice rules, social distancing and mask-wearing measures forged a way forward that allowed sports to continue as close to normal given the moment.