PRESIDENT SEARCH

Chancellor Kent Hance has charged the Search Committee to solicit, review and screen candidates for the position of TTUHSC President, and recommend a slate of highly-qualified candidates to be delivered to the Chancellor for his deliberation.

The Chancellor, with the prior approval of the Board of Regents, will make the final selection of a new President of TTUHSC.

ABOUT THE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

The Texas Tech University School of Medicine was created by the 61st Texas Legislature in May, 1969 as a multi-campus institution with Lubbock as the administrative center and with regional campuses at Amarillo, El Paso, and Odessa. In 1979, the charter was expanded to become the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), leading the way for establishment of the Schools of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In 1993, the legislature authorized the establishment of a School of Pharmacy to be located in Amarillo. In addition, Allied Health Sciences programs were also expanded to Amarillo and the Permian Basin. In 2003, the legislature authorized the establishment for a four-year medical school in El Paso. The six schools are committed to regionalized, multi-campus educational experiences, and to the related biomedical research, graduate studies, patient care and community service required of a health sciences center. A primary effort is made to achieve a balanced group of students with qualified minority students, diverse age groups, and heterogeneous backgrounds in educational and life experiences. A special effort is made to recruit applicants from West Texas and from rural and border communities.

The Health Sciences Center has as its major objectives the provision of quality education and the development of academic, research, patient care, and community service programs to meet the health care needs of the 108 counties of West Texas, which comprise 48% of the land mass and 12% of the population of the total state. This 131,000 square mile service area and population of 2.6 million has been, and remains, highly underserved by health professionals and accessible health care facilities, despite the substantial and meaningful contribution made by the institution. Demographic shifts in West Texas populations, as well as socioeconomic and epidemiologic characteristics of its sub-groups, create major and specific demands for service. While education of students and residents remains the primary focus of the institution, there has been an important impact on the health status of West Texas. The lack of a single locus of population density has resulted in the regionalization of medical and health care education and patient care on multiple geographically separated campuses. In providing an excellent quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing health professional education at each site, the health needs of the larger community have been better met and relevant indices of health status demonstrate significant improvement.

The growing evidence confirms that the School of Medicine is accomplishing its mission of educating and placing practicing physicians in West Texas. With increasing demand for medical education, primarily along the Texas/Mexico border, legislation was signed in October 2003 establishing a new four-year medical school in El Paso. The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso welcomed the inaugural class in July 2009. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, originally part of the School of Medicine, educates the next generation of scientists which is vital as the Health Sciences Center strives for excellence in research. The Schools of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences continue their impact on the health care needs of West Texas, with most of their graduates remaining in West Texas to pursue their chosen profession. The Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing celebrated the school's 25th anniversary in January 2007, and established the first endowed chairs in Nursing during AY 2007. The School of Pharmacy celebrated a decade of excellence in August 2006. The school's expansion continues with the establishment of a four-year pharmacy school in Abilene, which began classes in August 2007.

Today, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is home to six schools with more than 3,200 students and 5,000 employees located on eight campuses throughout the Lone Star State.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The President is the chief executive officer of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ("Health Sciences Center" or "TTUHSC") and is responsible for the executive management of its operations. The President provides overall leadership in the planning and management of the academic, research, international, service, fiscal, administrative, operational and auxiliary enterprise mission of the Health Sciences Center.

The President is appointed by the Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, with the prior approval of the Board of Regents of the System. The performance of the President is evaluated annually by the Chancellor, with a report of the evaluation provided to the Board of Regents for concurrence or modification.