McGregor joins president’s office
November 29, 2011
Dr. Kyle McGregor, associate professor of agricultural and consumer sciences, in September was named Chief of Staff to Tarleton State University President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio.
McGregor said he is the first chief of staff for the Office of the President. The position is a multi-year, faculty development appointment that replaces and repurposes the position of executive assistant to the president.
“I’m extremely pleased to have someone of Dr. McGregor’s talent and experience serve in my office,” Dottavio said in a press release. “His scholarly pursuits, teaching achievements and breadth of knowledge about the university make him an ideal faculty member to help propel Tarleton to new levels of academic excellence and to make greater contributions to the region and the state.”
McGregor will provide overall management for the Office of the President.
“As the Chief of Staff, I’ll manage the President’s office, I’ll coordinate legislative, legal and policy affairs with the [Texas A&M University] System,” McGregor said. “I’ll also work with any type of university policy that the president wants me to work with, serve for the president in his absence and do whatever it is he needs me to do.”
McGregor said he has been receiving invitations to events that the president has been to, but he hasn’t had to fill in for him yet.
McGregor is also a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet. The cabinet is comprised of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Karen Murray; Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Rick Richardson; Vice President for Student Life Rusty Jergins; Vice President for Finance and Administration Jerry Graham; and McGregor.
“I’m the guy who gets to take a lot of notes, and make sure things get communicated post cabinet meetings,” McGregor said. “I’ll be the guy that does a lot of meeting follow ups. I’ll send out reminders; the staff members in the office will set the meeting up, get the agenda put together and I’ll help them with that.”
McGregor said he would the “secretary slash reporter” of the group if the positions were broken down into the traditional parliamentary-type positions.
McGregor said the cabinet meetings are a crucial part of the university’s management.
“Essentially items that are foundational items and strategic guides of the university [are discussed],” McGregor said. “So, all of the big decisions that are made for the university, the President makes, and he makes them under guidance from his cabinet.”
In addition to his new appointment, McGregor still maintains his teaching duties.
“This semester (fall 2011), I teach agricultural power units. I teach a graduate seminar, I teach an undergraduate senior seminar and I teach a graduate level research course,” McGregor said.
Dr. Rudy Tarpley, department head of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences, and Dottavio have agreed that McGregor needs to remain in the classroom. Beginning with the spring 2012 semester, McGregor will teach one graduate class per long semester.
“Transforming the former executive assistant to the president role into the chief of staff position, which will be filled by a faculty member on a multi-year basis, will provide an excellent opportunity for ongoing leadership development and facilitate an appreciation for the rising complexity of university administration,” Provost Murray said in a press release.
McGregor earned his bachelor of science degree in agricultural education from Tarleton in 1996. He then obtained a master’s degree in 1997 and a doctorate in agricultural education in 2002, both from Texas Tech University. He was appointed to the Tarleton faculty in 2002.
He has published numerous peer-reviewed research articles for scholarly organizations, including the American Association of Agricultural Scientists, the National Agricultural Education Research Conference and others.
McGregor has gathered more than $760,000 in external funding since 2002, has brought national programs such as the Delta Conference to Tarleton and has lead projects for the Texas Educational Agency and the national FFA organization.
At Tarleton, McGregor has received numerous awards and honors for teaching, including the Jack and Louise Arthur Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the O.A. Grant Excellence in Teaching Award and the Outstanding Teacher Award.
In 2004, McGregor was named as one of the best faculty to take classes with at Tarleton by “Texas Monthly” magazine.