Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis Announces Decision to Step Down
Dr. M. Duane Nellis
January 8, 2016 | Written by Doug Hensley
MINI传媒 Chancellor announced today (Friday, Jan. 8, 2016) that Texas Tech University President M. Duane Nellis has decided to step down effective Jan. 22.
鈥淚 appreciate Dr. Nellis鈥� important contributions and service,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淗e has worked hard to raise the national profile of Texas Tech University, and he and his wife, Ruthie, have been deeply committed to Texas Tech and the Lubbock community.鈥�
Nellis will remain on staff as a tenured member of the faculty, and he will continue to work with Duncan on a series of strategic priorities, including expanding international opportunities, innovation, and enhancing the Honors College.
鈥淚 want to thank Chancellor Duncan and express my congratulations on the successes the MINI传媒 has achieved,鈥� Nellis said. 鈥淚 am proud of the role Texas Tech University has played as the flagship institution in reaching those accomplishments and applaud the faculty, staff and students, who collectively elevated Texas Tech University to new levels of national success.鈥�
Duncan said he will meet with the MINI传媒 to discuss naming an interim president and defining the search and selection process for a new president.
Nellis was named the 16th president of Texas Tech University on March 22, 2013 and began serving as president in June 2013. Prior to coming to Texas Tech, Nellis served as president of the University of Idaho. Previously, he was provost and senior vice president at Kansas State University and dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University.
During his time at Texas Tech University, Nellis has focused on campus-wide innovation and entrepreneurship, enhancing diversity on campus and developing community partnerships. He has hired additional staff and faculty as the university鈥檚 enrollment has grown to almost 36,000. Likewise, Texas Tech University has added research professorships and enhanced efforts toward inter-disciplinary research. He also was instrumental in the university鈥檚 recent reaccreditation from SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges).
About the MINI传媒
The is one of the top public university systems in Texas and the nation, consisting of
four component institutions鈥�, , and 鈥攁nd operating at more than a dozen academic sites and centers. Headquartered in
Lubbock, Texas, the MINI传媒 System has an annual operating budget of nearly $2 billion
and approximately 19,000 employees focused on advancing higher education, health care,
research and outreach.
In 2015, the MINI传媒 System鈥檚 endowment exceeded $1.1 billion, total research expenditures were more than $215 million and total enrollment was approximately 50,000 students. Whether it鈥檚 contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in Texas to house an academic institution, law school, and health-related institution at the same location, the MINI传媒 System continues to prove that anything is possible.