TXST News
Texas State’s president becomes the first chair of the Pac-12 Board of Directors
Dr. Kelly Damphousse, President of Texas State University, has been named chair of the Pac-12 Board of Directors for the 2026–27 academic year — the first chair of the new Pac-12.
What happened
The Pac-12 Board of Directors is composed of the presidents of member universities. Damphousse takes the chair; Amy Parsons, J.D., President of Colorado State University, serves as vice chair. Together they lead the board’s executive committee.
The positions run on a one-year rotation. The executive committee comprises a chair, a vice chair and one at-large position appointed annually by the board — a design meant to handle evolving governance matters flexibly while keeping a broad range of institutional perspectives. The committee convenes quickly on pressing matters and connects conversations across the conference’s administrative committees.
Being selected to serve as the first chair of the new Pac-12 is a tremendous honor, both personally and for Texas State University. I’m grateful for the confidence of my fellow presidents and excited to work alongside these visionary leaders as we build a conference focused on creating new opportunities for our student-athletes and our universities. Texas State and the new Pac-12 share a challenger’s mindset, a belief in what’s possible, and a commitment to building something special together.
KELLY DAMPHOUSSE, Ph.D. — PRESIDENT, TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITYWhat a "conference" is, and whether it affects you
U.S. college sport is organised into conferences — groups of universities that compete against one another and negotiate together on matters such as broadcast rights. The Pac-12 is among the oldest and best known; Texas State joined on 1 July 2026.
To be direct: this does not change admission requirements, tuition or your degree programme. It does affect three real things:
Name recognition
In the United States a university’s name travels partly through its sport. Competing in the Pac-12 makes "Texas State" more familiar to employers outside Texas.
Campus life
Game days, homecoming, the crowd — a large share of American student life is organised around this calendar.
Institutional standing
Member presidents choose who leads the conference. That they chose Texas State’s says something about where the university sits among its peers.
See the leadership & accreditation page for how the university is governed.
Source: TXST President Kelly Damphousse named board chair of Pac-12 Board of Directors, news.txst.edu, 3 September 2026, by Jayme Blaschke. The date Texas State began Pac-12 competition comes from the university’s official about page. The explanation of what a conference is comes from the International Office.
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