Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Selects its Fourteenth President

Alisa White was named as the sole finalist to become the fourteenth president of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Texas law requires a 21-day waiting period before her appointment as president can be made official.

“I spent several days on Sam Houston State University’s campus last year and, as impressed as I was by its beautiful architecture and grounds, I was even more impressed by campus community members who embrace the university’s role as a transformative agent in the lives of individuals, families, and communities,” Dr. White said.

Sam Houston State University enrolls nearly 18,500 undergraduate students and more than 2,700 graduate students, according to the most recent data posted by the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 62 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Dr. White is currently president of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. She previously served as vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at Tyler and Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Dr. White is a graduate of what is now Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, where she majored in business. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.