Chancellor Addresses Establishment of TTUHSC at El Paso, Appoints Dr. Tedd Mitchell as Interim President
May 23, 2013
Chancellor Kent Hance issued the following statement today (May 23) with regard to the establishment of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso as a freestanding, fourth institution within the Texas Tech University System.
Statement from Chancellor Hance:
On May 18, 2013, history was made at the Texas Tech University System when Gov. Rick Perry signed S.B. 120 into law, formally establishing the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) at El Paso as the fourth institution under our system. This was a momentous day not only for us, but also for the countless people who have helped turn our dream into a reality.
We are especially grateful to Gov. Perry, Sen. José Rodríguez, Rep. Naomi Gonzalez and others in the Texas Legislature for their tremendous support of the bill. However, this significant milestone would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of our students, faculty, staff, community members and donors in El Paso.
There have been many achievements realized in El Paso while a regional campus, and we are excited to build on this great momentum now as an independent university. To lead our efforts, Dr. Tedd Mitchell has been named interim president of the newly established TTUHSC at El Paso after actions taken following an executive session of the May Board of Regents meeting last week.
As interim president, Dr. Mitchell will be doing the same job he has been doing since he was named president of TTUHSC (headquartered in Lubbock) in June 2010. He has done a great job coordinating this campus throughout his time as president and we are confident in Dr. Mitchell’s skills and institutional knowledge to lead this successful transition from a regional campus to a comprehensive health sciences university.
Additionally, a committee will be named in the coming weeks to conduct a nationwide search for the first TTUHSC at El Paso president. This search will help identify an outstanding candidate who will join us in strengthening our new university’s position in higher education and the TTU System.
Thanks to our dedicated supporters, we have laid a solid foundation for success in El Paso and look forward to an exciting future for our new university.