A Letter from the President

There is a moment in this issue that I keep returning to. During inauguration week, David Bailey, a McMurry alumnus who had just become CEO of First Financial Bank, watched a student named Carmen Velasquez stand before a crowd and speak from her heart. He was so moved that he walked up to her afterward and said, “You need to come talk to us.” That conversation became an interview. That interview became a job offer. And Carmen, a first-generation college student and business finance major, stepped into her career before she had even crossed our commencement stage.

At McMurry, that is just how things work. Students are known here. They are mentored, invested in, and prepared not just for what is in front of them, but for what they cannot yet see. As Carmen herself put it, “McMurry prepared me for this moment in ways I didn’t fully realize until now.” That is the McMurry experience. And it is the kind of growth that no enrollment number can fully capture.

And yet, the numbers do tell a story. A record number of students have applied for admission to McMurry for the fall of 2026, a positive signal that our momentum is drawing interest from more students like Carmen. However, our continued growth carries a responsibility to ensure every student finds the same sense of possibility and intentional relationships that Carmen did.

To meet that responsibility, we are expanding what is possible at McMurry. Thanks to extraordinary generosity, a transformative $15 million athletic facility upgrade will give rise to a new training complex, giving our coaches better tools and our scholar-athletes more room to grow. We are also proud to share that McMurry will become the first university in Texas to offer men’s and women’s gymnastics, debuting in 2027.

That same spirit of growth is reshaping our academics. We recently launched two new STEM-designated graduate programs: a Master of Science in AI in Business and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. These programs are our answer to what West Texas needs, ensuring our graduates are prepared to drive innovation and lead in complex fields.

Our faculty have also been working to align our academic programs in ways that better support students and encourage collaboration across disciplines. We are expanding internship opportunities and travel experiences, giving students more ways to connect what they learn in class with experiences beyond campus.

Investments in facilities, academic programs, and student opportunities help make stories like Carmen’s possible. They prepare students for what comes next and give them the confidence to pursue it.

As you read this issue, I hope you will see the progress taking place across campus. McMurry continues to move forward because of the commitment of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends.

Thank you for all you do to support this university and the students we serve.

Ala Cumba!