Provost Confirmed as Next Texas Tech President

Lawrence Schovanec, a longtime Texas Tech University faculty member who is the current provost, has been named the next president of the school. 

The appointment was made official at a meeting of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents on Thursday. He will start work on Aug. 1.

Schovanec had been selected as the sole finalist for the job weeks earlier, but needed a final confirmation after a three-week waiting period mandated by state law. A longtime mathematics professor and department chairman, he previously served as interim president in 2012 and 2013. He joined the university in 1982.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to once again lead this wonderful university, to which I have devoted my career, and continue to work alongside so many talented faculty, staff and students who make Texas Tech University a leader in higher education,” Schovanec said in a statement after the vote. 

Schovanec is a graduate of Phillips University in Oklahoma. He earned his master's degree at Texas A&M University and his Ph.D at Indiana University. He replaces Duane Nellis, who relinquished his post as president in January. Nellis had been a candidate to lead the University of Wyoming. While visiting that campus, he publicly expressed frustration with the governance structure at Tech, according to the Laramie Boomerang. 

The vote to name Schovanec president was unanimous. After the meeting, Tech System Chancellor Robert Duncan praised the hire. 

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Schovanec as the next president of Texas Tech University,” Duncan said. “He has served Texas Tech tremendously for more than three decades and has a bold vision for our future. I have no doubt he will elevate our university to an even greater level of success.”