The importance of belonging was woven throughout the speeches at the 2022 Fall Assembly, held Aug. 22.

John Terrizzi (Psychology, Denton), speaker of the TWU Faculty Senate, greeted the audience of faculty, staff and administrators, noting the diversity in their backgrounds, personal identities, and in the roles they fill at Texas Woman’s. Each role has an important function, he said, adding, “We all belong here.”

Terrizzi urged those in the audience to “escape the buildings” they’re in this semester and “risk conversation” with people outside their programs or departments.

Sharon Bailey (College of Professional Education, Denton), president of TWU Staff Council, echoed that sentiment in announcing “Community begins with me” as the council’s “rallying cry” this year.

Chancellor Carine Feyten showed the video used to launch the university’s Strategic Plan five years ago and paid tribute to those who worked on creating it, noting it took 18 months to build. The plan crystalized the university’s purpose, she said.

The chancellor highlighted some of the 18 university-level initiatives in the Strategic Plan, with videos showcasing the College of Business’ accelerated seven-week courses for the MBA; the New Teacher Academy, a Teacher Education program; research initiatives, including ground-breaking breast cancer research; and the work done at The Stroke Center-Dallas.

She later noted organizers expect to present a new Strategic Plan in February 2023.

Other highlights included:

• A report on Athletics, with Feyten noting Texas Woman’s is the first public university to offer women’s wrestling. She also noted the successes of the dance, artistic swimming, and stunts teams, as well as gymnastics team’s 2022 “trifecta” — the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championship, Midwest Independent Conference championship, and achieving the highest team grade point average in the nation.
• Monica Mendez-Grant, vice president for Student Life, spoke about additional resources offered to students who report being impacted by mental health issues.
• Javier Flores, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, reported that the incoming FTIC (First Time in College) cohort is on track to be the largest-ever in TWU history. He also announced “20,000 by 2027,” the university’s goal of reaching a student population of 20,000 by the year 2027.
• Kimberly Russell, vice president for University Advancement, reported on the university’s first-ever comprehensive campaign. The campaign currently is in its “quiet phase,” but Russell said the public phase will launch in fall 2023. The goal of the campaign is to raise $125 million by the university’s 125^th anniversary in 2026. Approximately $76.5 million has been raised to date, she said.
• O. Finley Graves, interim provost, reported on Academic Affairs activities, noting that the university is on target to submit its application for SACS reaffirmation by the Sept. 8 due date.

If you missed the event, you can still watch it online. Watch the 2022 Fall Assembly.