Messages From The President
2024 State of the University Address
Archive of Messages from the President
Dear Texas Southern University Community,
I hope this message finds you well. As we continue our journey of Renewal, Enhancement, and Expansion by Building In, Building Up, and Building Out at Texas Southern University, I want to emphasize the importance of open communication, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving. It is vital that each member of our community feels heard and that together, we can address the opportunities and challenges before us.
I have had a chance to address the critical operating issues of the Annual Budget and produce the Legislative Appropriations Request in addition to several other immediate issues. To this end, I am pleased to announce a series of Listening Sessions that will take place from October 8 - October 11, 2024. These Listening Sessions will provide a space for you to voice your concerns, share your ideas, and engage in a meaningful dialogue about the future of our university. Each Listening Session will focus on different segments of our campus community, and it is my goal to listen to your perspectives and address the critical matters that impact us all.
The schedule for the Listening Sessions is as follows and will take place in the College of Education Auditorium:
- Tuesday, October 8: 12:00 PM – Students
- Thursday, October 10: 12:00 PM – Staff
- Friday, October 11: 12:00 PM – Faculty
*Subsequent listening sessions with each college/school will be scheduled later in October.
I look forward to hearing your insights on various topics, including academic excellence, campus life, student support, operational efficiencies, and more. I firmly believe transparency and shared governance are key to building a stronger, more unified university. Your input is invaluable as we work together to advance Texas Southern University’s mission and position ourselves as leaders in education, research, and service.
I encourage you to participate in these conversations, and I welcome your honest feedback. Let us continue to uphold the TSU values of excellence, unity, and accountability.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our university. I look forward to seeing you at the Listening Sessions and working together to build a brighter future for Texas Southern University.
Sincerely,
J. W. Crawford III
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President, Texas Southern University
This message was emailed to all active students and employees.
Texas Southern University Community,
It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the sudden passing of one of our beloved Tigers, Isaiah Blair. He tragically passed following an off-campus medical emergency. Isaiah was a bright and promising business major in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. Isaiah was also working at JPMorgan Chase to pursue his dream of working in the banking industry. His vibrant spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
As we navigate this difficult time, we are in touch with Isaiah's family to offer our support as they cope with this heartbreaking loss. His mother shared that, despite any health challenges he faced, Isaiah always demonstrated resilience and remained steadfast in pursuing his dreams. His dedication to excellence and commitment to service will continue to inspire his peers in JHJ, the Future Bankers Leadership Program, and beyond.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Isaiah's family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.
We recognize that this news may be especially difficult for many of our students, and we want to remind everyone that support is available.
Counselors are on hand to assist those affected by Isaiah's passing, and we encourage students to contact the University Counseling Center at 713-313-7804. Faculty and staff members can access support through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by contacting Human Resources at 713-313-7521.
Let us, as one community, honor Isaiah's memory and support one another during this challenging time.
With heartfelt condolences,
J. W. CRAWFORD, III
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President
This message was emailed to active students and employees.
Texas Southern University Community,
It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the sudden passing of one of our beloved Tigers, Isaiah Blair. He tragically passed following an off-campus medical emergency. Isaiah was a bright and promising business major in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. Isaiah was also working at JPMorgan Chase to pursue his dream of working in the banking industry. His vibrant spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
As we navigate this difficult time, we are in touch with Isaiah's family to offer our support as they cope with this heartbreaking loss. His mother shared that, despite any health challenges he faced, Isaiah always demonstrated resilience and remained steadfast in pursuing his dreams. His dedication to excellence and commitment to service will continue to inspire his peers in JHJ, the Future Bankers Leadership Program, and beyond.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Isaiah's family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.
We recognize that this news may be especially difficult for many of our students, and we want to remind everyone that support is available.
Counselors are on hand to assist those affected by Isaiah's passing, and we encourage students to contact the University Counseling Center at 713-313-7804. Faculty and staff members can access support through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by contacting Human Resources at 713-313-7521.
Let us, as one community, honor Isaiah's memory and support one another during this challenging time.
With heartfelt condolences,
J.W. CRAWFORD, III
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President
Dear TigerLand,
I am writing to extend my sincere commendation to each of you for the exceptional work, meticulous planning, dedication, and outstanding collaboration demonstrated by each of you during the 2024-2025 Freshmen Move-In Day at Texas Southern University. The success of this pivotal event is a testament to the remarkable teamwork and unwavering commitment to excellence of our students and the broader TSU community.
The seamless coordination between Residential Life and Housing, the Department of Public Safety, and the various campus departments-including Academic Affairs, Finance, Operations, Development and Alumni Engagement, Marketing and Communications, and KTSU-was nothing short of exemplary. Your collective efforts, support, and collaboration were critical in executing this event so smoothly to ensure that our incoming students and their families experienced a warm, welcoming, and efficient move-in process, setting the tone for their journey at Texas Southern University. This level of teamwork is a shining example of what we can achieve when we work together toward a common goal, and it is a model of the operational excellence we should strive for every day.
To the student volunteers, your enthusiasm and willingness to lend a helping hand
embody the spirit of TSU. You played a critical role in making this day a stress-free
experience for our freshmen and their families. Your hard work did not go unnoticed,
and you have set a powerful example of what it means to act in service as an aspiring
TSU
graduate.
I am deeply proud of the work you have done, and I want to thank each of you personally.
The success of Freshmen Move-In Day reflects not only your hard work but also the
bright future we are building together at Texas Southern University. Together, you
have created a hugely successful and memorable event, setting a strong foundation
for the
incoming class of 2028.
Thank you for your continued service to Texas Southern University, and congratulations
on a job well done.
J. W. Crawford III]
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President
This letter was emailed to active students and employees.
Dear Tiger Family,
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to pursue independence from British rule. Two days later John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, was the first to inscribe his name onto one of the most impactful documents in human history, the Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson. The courageous decision of the Founding Fathers started a chain of events that changed the world.
The words of the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”
These are words to stir the human heart, and so they did in 1776, igniting a war with the most dominant nation on Earth, the British Empire, which at the time, no one could have expected the colonist to win. On that day, the thirteen colonies began the bid for freedom. However, it was a freedom that all who resided within the confines of the colonies did not enjoy. The enslaved Black women, men, and children, whose ancestors first touch the shores of North America in 1619, did not achieve freedom for four hundred years.
History, particularly, our U.S. American history can be confounding, unpleasant, and beautiful all at once. Each year on July 4th, we the occupants of these United States celebrate the victory of freedom over imperial authoritarianism. Yet, that sterling moment in history did not shine brightly for all. Freedom, independence, equality, equity, diversity, these terms continue to challenge us, liberal and conservative alike. Fairness and Truth, two universal principles, the meaning of which once well-settled are now under debate. There is a sense we no longer live in a nation of rising boats, but rather in a zero-sum competition for control over who rises and who falls.
If we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the daily news headlines it is hard to see a path forward that offers hope for balance. I do not feel that way. It is my belief this great nation has not seen its best days. There is much more before us. Although, Jefferson’s words, at the time, did not include the Black enslaved, over the years the courage of women and men, of all colors and creeds, worked to push our nation to meet the truth that lies within his eloquent and heart-stirring words. This work continues and we who educate the future leaders of this nation must ensure we rise to the challenge and the promise of these words.
For over 30 years I was privileged to wear the colors of our nation as a United States Navy officer. Each time I was granted the gift of standing before our flag of Stars and Stripes to pledge my oath of allegiance to the Constitution it was clear to me the ideals espoused in our founding documents will endure beyond the trying times of a given period in our history. Our system of government and the institutions that sustain it are imperfect, as we as individuals are imperfect; however, we must continue to seek perfection as a nation and as individuals and in the journey if we are blessed, we will find shared excellence.
We are all beneficiaries of the experiment started on that July 4th nearly 250 years ago. Today, we celebrate the independence of our nation. Celebrate this hard-won freedom with all the enthusiasm and gusto you can muster. History is messy, but as Dr. King said, “the arc of the moral universe will bend toward justice,” but it will not do so on its own. Follow the example of those imperfect, but great menand women, who founded this nation and do your part to ensure truth prevails and our nation continues to be the inspiration of the world.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
J.W. CRAWFORD, III
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President
This letter was emailed to active students and employees.
Dear Tigers,
Today, we mark a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, a day that resonates deeply
with the legacy of
Texas Southern University. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston with
a proclamation
that the Civil War was over, and all enslaved persons had been freed. This news, which
arrived two years after President Abraham’s Emancipation Proclamation, was memorialized
as a historic day and a beacon of hope for those who had been enslaved. It was a day
that marked their legal freedom, even though it took them two years to learn of it.
Simply put: those enslaved men and women were free in the eyes of the law, but it
took two years for them to learn of their freedom.
Over 150 years later, we celebrate the freedom that was gained on that fateful day while remaining acutely aware of the challenges through which the descendants of enslaved people have persevered and the obstacles they continue to overcome daily as a result of economic disparities, social injustice, and economic disparities. May this Juneteenth serve as a reminder of our precious commitment to freedom, equality, progress, and economic empowerment.
As president of Texas Southern University, it is my honor to provide leadership to
an institution that
has been at the heart and soul of civil rights, social justice, and economic empowerment
since its inception. TSU was founded in 1927 to educate Black teachers. The TSU education
those teachers received enabled them to prepare the youngest of Black scholars for
academic and economic success.
Our university became the seat of the fight for equality in Houston, with fervent leaders such as Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, and Reverend William Lawson, student leaders before they became national leaders. For decades, our university has produced and employed leaders who led the fight for freedom and opportunities through their policymaking as legislators, their advocacy as attorneys who lent their legal expertise, and their guidance as spiritual leaders whose living room floor was ground zero.
After 97 years, Texas Southern University continues to embody the spirit of Juneteenth.
It stands as a
testament to perseverance, provides opportunities through education, and serves as
a training ground for drum majors of justice around the world. On this Juneteenth,
I urge every Tiger to not only celebrate Black history and heritage but also reaffirm
our unwavering commitment to freedom and equality.
J.W. CRAWFORD, III
Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired)
President
This letter was emailed to active students and employees.
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