Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., who joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1987 and has served as interim president since Nov. 1, 2019, has been named the sole finalist for the president’s job. She will become the first female president in Texas Tech University System history.
The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents announced the selection May 14. State law requires 21 days must pass before final action can be taken on employment once a sole finalist has been named. Rice-Spearman’s start date as president is expected to be June 5.
“Thirty-three years ago, I joined the TTUHSC faculty as an academic instructor in the then-School of Allied Health Sciences,” Rice-Spearman said. “I found great joy in that job, in part because I had been a student in those very seats at TTUHSC just years before. Today, I am humbled beyond words at the opportunity to serve as the next President of this great university,” she said in the announcement.
A national search was conducted to recruit and identify a pool of experienced leaders for the position. The board voted to select Rice-Spearman as the sole finalist after interviews were conducted with candidates and a recommendation was made from Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.
Rice-Spearman will become the ninth president in the 51-year history of TTUHSC. Additionally, she becomes not only the first female president of TTUHSC, but also in the history of all four universities within the TTU System.