(AUSTIN) – Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as chair of the National Association of System Heads (NASH), the association of chief executive officers of 65 college and university systems across the United States. McCall previously served as vice chair of NASH. His term as chair begins August 1, 2023.
“I’m honored to bring a Texas perspective to the national stage as chair of NASH and look forward to working with system CEOs across the nation to advance the mission of higher education and improve the effectiveness of our member institutions,” said Chancellor McCall.
Through NASH’s ‘The Power of Systems’ initiative launched last year, participating college and university systems pledge to hold themselves accountable to three overarching metrics: credential completion, social mobility, and student loan debt reduction. Improvement on these fronts demonstrates meaningful progress toward the plan’s ultimate goal of advancing prosperity for the nation.
Consistent with these goals, the number of degrees and certificates awarded by TSUS institutions since 2010 has increased 46 percent (exceeding the rate of enrollment growth) and the percentage of graduates without debt increased from 39 percent to 52 percent. Additionally, TSUS institutions contribute to social mobility in the state by serving thousands of first-generation and Pell-eligible students who graduate with highly marketable skills and knowledge. For example, Sam Houston State University is ranked 1st in Texas and 23rd nationally in social mobility, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Formed in 1979 to improve the organization and governance of public higher education systems, NASH serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and leveraging the power of systems to advance innovation and change in public higher education. Together, public university systems educate approximately three-quarters of the nation’s students in public, four-year higher education, and a significant proportion of students seeking two-year degrees.
The Texas State University System is the state’s first university system, with seven institutions serving more than 88,000 students from far West Texas to the Gulf Coast. Established in 1911, the mission of TSUS is to provide high-quality, affordable degree and credential programs to meet the needs of Texas’ diverse and fast-growing economy.