Kelly R. Damphousse confirmed as 10th President of Texas State University

Staff Reports

SAN MARCOS – The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System has confirmed Kelly R. Damphousse, Ph.D., as the 10th president of Texas State University. The unanimous vote occurred during a special called meeting of the board today. Dr. Damphousse (DAM-fiss) was named sole finalist for the position last month following a national search. He will assume office July 1.

Dr. Damphousse has served since 2017 as president of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He previously served as Associate Dean, Interim Dean, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma (OU), an R1 Carnegie-ranked doctoral research university that enrolls more than 31,000 students and generates $362 million in total research.

Dr. Damphousse is an accomplished scholar and has conducted extensive research on terrorism and substance abuse, rising through the faculty ranks to become a tenured Presidential Professor of Sociology. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at Sam Houston State University, before joining the OU faculty in 1997.

A native of Canada, Dr. Damphousse is familiar with Texas and the Texas State University System, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. He also holds an associate degree in law enforcement from Lethbridge College, a community college in Alberta, Canada.

He succeeds Dr. Denise Trauth, who is retiring June 30th after 20 years of extraordinary service to the university.

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