Message from the Vice Provost

Under the direction of the Office of the Provost and as part of Texas Tech University’s strategic plan, I am honored to serve as the institution’s first Vice Provost for Outreach & Engagement. Established in 2024, this office represents a bold step toward aligning Texas Tech’s academic mission with its public purpose.

As part of this restructuring, several key cultural and educational units now fall under the Office of Outreach & Engagement, including the Museum of Texas Tech University, the National Ranching Heritage Center, Texas Tech University Press, the Texas Tech University Center at Junction, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Together, these units extend the reach of the university and strengthen our commitment to lifelong learning, public access, and community impact.

Our office plays a central role in ensuring that the university’s teaching, research, and engagement activities work and integrate with communities across the region, nation, and world. A critical component of this work is supporting engaged scholarship—collaborative, academically grounded work that addresses societal challenges and generates mutual benefit for both the university and its partners.

Through initiatives like community-engaged learning, programmatic engagement pathways, engaged college program, graduate engagement micro-credentialing, promotion and tenure, and more, we are building systems to support and evaluate the societal impact of research and teaching across disciplines. These pathways help us document not only what we do, but why it matters.

One of my key priorities is to cultivate the next generation of engaged scholars, especially among our graduate students. By embedding engagement into graduate education, we prepare future faculty and professionals to collaborate across sectors, communicate effectively, and translate academic work into lasting societal impact.

I invite you to explore the work of our office and consider how you can be part of Texas Tech’s commitment to serving the public good through scholarship, partnership, and innovation.

There has never been a more exciting time for engagement at Texas Tech University!

Dr. Rod Williams
Vice Provost, Office of Outreach & Engagement

More information about Dr. Williams >>