SAN MARCOS, TEXAS— Southwest Texas State University President Denise M. Trauth Tuesday called on the school’s faculty and staff to work together to craft a shared vision for the university that will establish it as one of the pre-eminent institutions of higher education in the country.

Delivering her first “State of the University” address to a capacity audience of faculty and staff in SWT’s Evans Auditorium, Trauth encouraged the university community “to realize and relish the incredible opportunity we have before us.”

“The privilege of building a university is ours,” she said.

Trauth said she would establish a presidential committee charged with evaluating the university’s planning process and recommend revisions by the end of the fall semester.

“I am talking about a blueprint for actions that will be taken at this university. I am talking about determining together what the destiny of this institution should be. I am talking about crafting a shared vision,” she said.

Trauth said that 10 values guide her approach to leadership in higher education. Those values are:

• That public universities exist to support the goals and values of the citizens of the state.
• That a common goal should be to build the institution and to enlarge its reputation for academic excellence.
• That the majority of the energy of the university should be focused on the production of graduates.
• That the university should take an integrated approach to its teaching, research and public service functions.
• That a planning process should create community.
• That resource allocation and reallocation should be tied to the outcomes of the planning process.
• That the university should identify and adhere to strategic priorities.
• That the planning process should remain flexible enough to capitalize on unexpected opportunity.
• That the planning process should be open, inclusive and have room for diversity of opinion.
• That a vision of the future of the university should be a shared vision crafted by the many sectors of the SWT community.

Trauth was named the university’s ninth president in June, and she reported to work on Aug. 7. She succeeds Jerome Supple, who served as SWT president for almost 14 years.

“Several reporters have asked me what it’s like to follow such a popular and successful president. And I tell them – and you – it’s humbling. But if I had a choice of following a president who left the institution in excellent shape or one who left it in a state of disrepair, it’s an easy choice for me. At the same time, I feel good about the skills that I bring to this position and to the needs of Southwest Texas. It’s a good fit,” said Trauth.

Trauth came to SWT from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.