Eli Heath Named Texas Tech University System Student Regent
May 30, 2025 | Contact: Kristina Butler
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Eli Heath as the student regent for the Texas Tech University System (TTU System) Board of Regents for the 2025-26 academic year, the governor’s office announced Friday (May 30).
Lawrence Schovanec, Ph.D.Heath, a National Merit Scholar and graduate of Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas, is an undergraduate student in the Honors College at Texas Tech University (TTU). He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering (Whitacre College of Engineering), with minors in bioengineering, biology and chemistry.
Heath becomes the 20th student to serve on the Board of Regents and the seventh student from TTU to hold the position.
“This is a wonderful opportunity and honor for Eli,” said TTU President Lawrence Schovanec. “Eli is a respected student leader and a thoughtful representative of the university. His involvement in student government and other campus organizations reflects a strong commitment to service and academic excellence. We're proud of the way he represents Texas Tech and look forward to the contributions he will make to our university and the Texas Tech University System.”
Heath currently serves as a TTU Student Government Association student body senator and is a member of the Student Board of Directors for the TTU System Health Policy and Public Health Think Tank at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). He is also an outreach coordinator for the Raider Medical Screening Society.
Heath has earned multiple awards and scholarships at TTU, including the Undergraduate Outstanding Performance Award from the College of Arts & Sciences and the James E. Sowell Endowed Engineering Scholarship from the Whitacre College of Engineering. He was also recognized among the Top Ten First-Year Students by TTU’s Mortar Board Forum Chapter and has been recognized four times on the President’s List.
Heath’s academic and research involvement extends beyond TTU. He is a research intern in the lab of Sharilyn Almodovar, Ph.D., in the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at TTUHSC and serves as a project lead for research under Duke Appiah, Ph.D., MPH, in the university’s Department of Public Health. His collaborative research on the effects of human immunodeficiency virus, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has been featured at the 2024 Annual Student Conference and Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, as well as at the 2024 and 2025 Research Symposiums hosted by TTU’s Center for Transformative Undergraduate Experiences. This summer, Heath will pursue an internship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Heath is actively involved in service for TTU and the community. He is an Honors College Ambassador, vice president of programming for the Complex Council Executive Board for University Student Housing, a volunteer health unit assistant at University Medical Center and a volunteer mentor with the Bayless Elementary Mentoring Program.
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.“I’m excited to welcome Eli as our next student regent and look forward to the work he and the board will do together over the coming year. He joins the list of incredible students who have served as the voice of their peers across all five institutions of the Texas Tech University System,” said Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D. “We know he will be a tremendous advocate and representative for all of our Red Raiders, Rams and Mustangs, and I thank him for his service.”
Heath will begin his one-year term on June 1, with the term set to expire on May 31, 2026. His first Board of Regents meeting will be held Aug. 14-15 at the TTU System Building in Lubbock. He replaces Jad Zeitouni of TTUHSC, who was appointed in 2024.
About the Texas Tech University System
Established in 1996, the Texas Tech University System is one of the top public university
systems in the nation, consisting of five universities – Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Midwestern State University.
Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the TTU System is a more than $3 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach with approximately 21,000 employees and 64,000 students, more than 400,000 alums, a statewide economic impact of $19.2 billion and an endowment valued at $3 billion. In its short history, the TTU System has grown tremendously and is nationally acclaimed, operating at 21 academic locations in 17 cities (15 in Texas, 2 international).
In addition, the TTU System is one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.