Stephen F. Austin State University

Dr. Tito Guerrero III has resigned as Stephen F. Austin State University president, according to a joint announcement made today by Guerrero and Valerie Ertz, chair of the SFA Board of Regents.

“I regret that I will not have the opportunity to work with Dr. Guerrero during my full term as chair of the Board of Regents,” Ertz said. “Dr. Guerrero has really unified SFA during his five-year presidency. He is loved by the faculty, students, alumni and the community and has worked as a consensus builder for the many accomplishments achieved during his tenure. He has been an excellent spokesman for SFA with the Texas Legislature and before the U.S. Congress and has helped secure the largest Tuition Revenue Bond approval in SFA history. We appreciate all he has done for us and wish him every success in his future.”

During the Texas Legislature’s recent session, SFA received $30 million for an education research center and maintenance projects.

Guerrero said it has been a privilege to be part of a significant transformation that has taken place at SFA as a direct result of teamwork by people connected to SFA on every level. Despite the dramatic changes in the physical landscape of the university – including new residence halls, parking garages and student activity facilities, Guerrero believes the most fundamental and compelling changes have been internal.

“When I first arrived at SFA, the faculty expressed concern about an excessive need for academic remediation for incoming students,” Guerrero said. “Since raising our admission requirements three years ago, we have had incoming freshman classes with composite ACT and SAT scores above the state average. In addition, we have made significant inroads in the diversification of our student body, consistent with the state’s Closing the Gaps initiative, by setting all-time records in the enrollment of African-American, Hispanic and international students, thereby demonstrating that academic excellence and increased diversity are not mutually exclusive.”

During Guerrero’s tenure as SFA president, the university has secured more than $40 million dollars in gifts and $200 million in extramural funding. More than $168 million in building projects are currently under way or have been recently completed. Five new degree programs are being offered by the university, including a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and master’s degrees in spatial science and resource interpretation. The Poultry Research Center was established under his leadership, as well as the Advising Center for Undeclared Majors, an Office of International Programs, the American English Language Institute, a Center for Teaching Excellence and an Office of Enrollment Management.

Guerrero also led the university in establishing an employee tuition assistance program to assist employees and their family members in the pursuit of higher education.

“We have every reason to believe that what we have seen in the past five years will only serve as a springboard for even more exciting developments in the future,” Guerrero said. “The growing sense of verve and energy on campus will continue to increase the university’s capacity to improve enrollment trends in the near future.”

Although no definite date has been set for Guerrero’s departure, the regents will meet in July to discuss naming an interim president and a presidential search.