Staff Report
SAN MARCOS -- Kelly R. Damphousse was named as the 10th president of Texas State University.
The unanimous vote by the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System occurred during a special meeting called for Thursday, April 21. Dr. Damphousse was named sole finalist for the position last month, following a national search, and he will assume office July 1.
Dr. Damphousse has served since 2017 as president of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He previously served as Associate Dean, Interim Dean and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
He is "an accomplished scholar and has conducted extensive research on terrorism and substance abuse, rising through the faculty ranks to become a tenured Presidential Professor of Sociology," according to a news release. Dr. Damphousse started his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at Sam Houston State University, before joining the OU faculty in 1997.
A native of Canada, Dr. Damphousse is familiar with Texas and the Texas State University System, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. He also holds an associate degree in law enforcement from Lethbridge College, a community college in Alberta, Canada.
He succeeds Dr. Denise Trauth, who is retiring June 30th after 20 years.
