New TSU president earns high marks from students, alums for moves to reenergize campus life

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Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

By Lindsay Ellis
October 28, 2016 Updated: October 30, 2016 4:19pm

Fans of the Texas Southern University Tigers were tailgating before the Oct. 22 homecoming football game when the university's new president joined the revelry. He held up his wife's phone, turned his back to the crowd and snapped a selfie.

That day, Austin Lane passed the first big test of his presidency: hosting a homecoming week that students and alumni enjoyed.


In his first four months at the helm, Lane has made progress to reengage alumni and students at TSU, an historically black university struggling with low graduation rates, meager state funding and sharp enrollment declines over the past several years.

Lane, formerly executive vice chancellor at Lone Star College System in Montgomery County, said he thinks improving the overall college experience for students will lead to more of them earning a bachelor's degree and a higher enrollment rate. In turn, graduates who leave with a stronger connection to the university will be more apt as alumni to donate money and time to the college.


"I want to be an advocate for students" because I was one of them, said Lane, who attended Langston University, the only historically black university in Oklahoma. "I know how tough it is to get through school. Their lived experience, I lived it."

Read the rest: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...006.php?t=aeee29539b438d9cbb&cmpid=fb-premium
 
What's funny is that the media was reporting that students were upset about homecoming as if most students cared but this year alumni heavily outnumbered students at all the major homecoming events based on my observation ... football game, parade, campus tailgate. Homecoming is truly only important to a very small segment of TSU's student population as I stated before, it's never been super important or a huge deal unlike students at schools like Howard U or North Carolina A&T.
 
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TXSUDFWTIGER said:
What's funny is that the media was reporting that students were upset about homecoming as if most students cared but this year alumni heavily outnumbered students at all the major homecoming events based on my observation ... football game, parade, campus tailgate. Homecoming is truly only important to a very small segment of TSU's student population as I stated before, it's never been super important or a huge deal to students at schools like Howard U or North Carolina A&T.
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Not with that attitude lol

I saw nothing but praise for this year's homecoming activities from both students and alumni. TSU needs to utilize this feedback as promotion for 2017. This year set the bar higher for next year and hopefully we continue to rise above the expectations. This will generate lots of interest and in return, becoming more of a huge deal to both students and alumni alike.
 
Nelson said:
Not with that attitude lol

I saw nothing but praise for this year's homecoming activities from both students and alumni. TSU needs to utilize this feedback as promotion for 2017. This year set the bar higher for next year and hopefully we continue to rise above the expectations. This will generate lots of interest and in return, becoming more of a huge deal to both students and alumni alike.
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I had a typo but I think my point was clear lol. To be honest, homecoming was legit good this year and better organized. I guess my problem with homecoming is that I feel like too many people made that a top priority when it shouldn't have been. There's a million things I can think of that's important to complain about and make a high item issue than got damn TSU homecoming ... right now I don't feel like we have that luxury. We have the lowest graduation rate, retention rate, most student debt, worst rankings, worst press etc etc in the state ... let's fix that first and then worry about partying which there's no shortage of .... the campus is not far from the most popular clubs in Houston
 
This is why I've been blackballed by TSU alumni association. I'm too real and pragmatic lol ... but it's all good. I still love my alma mater, my experience at TSU has allowed me to do great things so I'm forever indebted and emotionally attached to the university
 
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