On Thursday, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents officially named Dr. James Hurley as Tarleton’s 16th president. Hurley will begin his tenure on Sept. 1 Hurley had served as the President of Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tenn. since 2017.

“We had several excellent candidates, but at the end of the day Dr. Hurley stood head and shoulders above the rest,” said Elaine Mendoza, Chair of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. “We are extremely confident in his ab

ility and excited by his enthusiasm to become part of Tarleton’s rich legacy.”

The Board can take the final action on his hiring after a 21-day notice period.

At the Lincoln Memorial University Hurley served as Dean of the School of Business and oversaw a 60 percent increase in the department’s enrollment. Working at his alma mater Pikeville College beginning in 2009 he helped transform that institution from a college to a university and in 2013 he was named President of University of Pikeville (UPIKE). Hurley oversaw significant capital expansion as well as colleges at UPIKE and led four consecutive years of record enrollments making UPIKE was one of the fastest growing four-year institutions in the South.

In his acceptance Hurley stated, “I would like to thank the Board of Regents and Chancellor John Sharp for naming me sole finalist for the position of president at Tarleton State University,”

“I am honored and humbled to be joining an incredible institution with an outstanding legacy of academic excellence and a steeped tradition of student success,” said Hurley. “Kindall (his wife) and I enthusiastically look forward to meeting with students, faculty, staff and community members during the next step of the process. Tarleton State University has a bright future and we cannot wait to join Texan Nation.”

Hurley earned his bachelor’s degree from Pikeville College where he was also a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team.  He received his master’s degree in educational leadership from Indiana University and his doctorate in higher education leadership and policy at Morehead State University.

At Tarleton Hurley will oversee the management of 1,400 employees and will serve the more than 13,000 students spread across five campuses and online.

After 11 years as the 15th president Dr. Dottavio will step down on Aug. 31. After a sabbatical Dottavio will return to Tarleton as a professor in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, teaching natural resource management.