Dr. Trauth's 20 Years at Texas State University

Southwest Texas State University becomes Texas State University-San Marcos Sept. 1, 2003. 

Texas State celebrates 100 years of university operations (September 9).

The Avery Building is the first building to open on the Round Rock Campus, providing classrooms, labs, offices, and library space. The Avery family donated 101 acres of land for what is now the Round Rock Campus.

The Princeton Review names Texas State one of the “best values” among America’s colleges. U.S. News & World Report rates Texas State among the top 10 public master’s universities in the west, the highest-ranked Texas institution in this category.

The Southwestern Writers Collection and the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection formally join as The Wittliff Collections on the seventh floor of the Albert B. Alkek Library. The Lonesome Dove Collection opens as a permanent exhibition.

Texas State is recognized as one of 11 model universities in the country for graduating Hispanics. The university’s graduation rate for Hispanics earning a bachelor’s degree within six years is 16 points higher than the Texas average and 10 points higher than the national average.

The academic year starts with almost 1,000 full-time faculty members, including 50 added in the previous year. Nearly 40% of the new tenure-track faculty hires identify as ethnic minority.

The Ingram School of Engineering is dedicated. Bruce and Gloria Ingram provide $5 million to establish the school.    

Bobcat baseball and softball get new stadiums in the spring. Bobcat Paul Goldschmidt, named Conference Player of the Year, would go on to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. 

Bobcat Stadium gets a major facelift and renovation with new club seating, lights, and facilities. Jerry and Linda Fields donate $1 million to support Texas State Athletics.

Cat Camp is introduced, with 215 new students participating in the summer

The Nursing Building opens on the Round Rock Campus, and St. David’s School of Nursing admits the first class of nursing majors in the fall. St. David’s Community Health Foundation donates $6 million to start the nursing school. 

The university begins offering a Ph.D. in criminal justice.

As part of the university’s 10-year reaffirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, ground is broken for the PACE Center.

The Wittliff Collections celebrate their 25th anniversary. Founded by Bill and Sally Wittliff, The Wittliff Collections are dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the creative legacy of the Southwest’s literary, photographic, and musical arts.

The Pride in Action Campaign is launched. The five pillars of the campaign are: Academic Excellence, the Performing Arts Center, the Library, Athletics, and Alumni/Annual Fund

Texas State becomes a Hispanic-Serving Institution. 

The University moves to the NCAA Division I FBS Western Athletic Conference.

Chautauqua and Gaillardia halls open for student housing.

The Texas State River Systems Institute becomes The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment after a matching gift of $5 million from the Meadows Foundation provided a $10 million University Endowment. More than 125,000 people visit each year. 

University enrollment exceeds 34,000.

The Science, Technology, and Advanced Research (STAR) Park, a 58-acre site, opens. STAR One is the first building dedicated to the university’s research and commercialization efforts.   

New master’s degrees include a master of science in nursing, which is a pathway to produce more nurse practitioners, and a master of arts in psychological research.

An NCAA report shows all 16 of Texas State’s athletics teams exceeded the required Academic Progress Rate. Eight of the 16 Bobcat teams score a perfect 1,000 in their Academic Progress Rate.

The Pride in Action Campaign raises $151 million for endowments, facilities, scholarships, and research.

The Performing Arts Center opens on the San Marcos Campus. The theatre is named  to honor Dr. Patti Strickel Harrison, whose $8 million gift is among the largest the university has received.

The online master of science in dementia and aging studies launches. The degree is the first of its kind in the nation.

Record enrollment is 38,006, with minorities making up 49% of the student body. The College of Science and Engineering reports record-setting enrollment of 5,880 students, which is more than an 11% increase over fall 2014.

Two new degrees — a master’s in engineering and a master’s in health information management — are introduced.

Two new 300-bed student residences open on Moore Street. They become First Five Freedom Hall and Elena Zamora O’Shea Hall.

Some 6,000 students live on campus, including nearly every first-year student.

The Texas Music Collection is established in The Wittliff Collections.

The Archives and Research Center (ARC) opens in STAR Park. It houses 3,000 linear feet of archival materials from the Alkek Library. 

The Materials Application Research Center (MARC) is established and operates under the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. 

The Campus Master Plan 2017–2027 is approved by regents. The plan includes a long-term vision that identifies sites for academic buildings and residence halls that can be considered beyond 2027.

The Chronicle of Higher Education lists Texas State among the top 50 public institutions with the highest research and development spending in the humanities. 

Willow Hall, a new health professions building, is dedicated on the Round Rock Campus.  

Bruce and Gloria Ingram Hall, the university’s largest academic building, opens its doors. Enrollment in engineering exceeds 1,000 students. 

The Latino/a Studies minor launches.

The civil engineering bachelor’s degree program is initiated. 

A second Student Health Center opens on Thorpe Lane.

The University Events Center and Strahan Arena are rededicated after a major expansion. 

The African American Studies minor is introduced in the College of Liberal Arts.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas State transitions more than 5,200 courses to remote delivery.

The Bobcat CARES program distributes $28.5 million in emergency grants to 23,000 students to ease the financial burden of the pandemic.

The Texas Music Gallery opens as part of a multimillion-dollar expansion at The Wittliff Collections. 

Research and Development spending increases to a record-breaking $70.7 million.

The NEXT IS NOW capital campaign  goes public in October. The goal is to raise $250 million.

Connected Infrastructure for Education, Demonstration, and Applied Research (CIEDAR) joins STAR Park. 

Freshman enrollment stands at a record 6,600 — a 13% increase over fall 2020. More than 11,000 new students — undergraduate and graduate — are enrolled. Total enrollment for San Marcos and Round Rock Campuses is 38,077.