A Message from President Damphousse

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

I am proud to let you know that today the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Texas State University as the site of the September 16, 2024 general election debate in the University Events Center on our San Marcos Campus. TXST is one of four national general election debate sites in 2024. 

We are thrilled for this opportunity to be the first location in Texas to host a presidential debate. It is a fitting tribute to our legacy as the only university in Texas to graduate a U.S. president, Lyndon Baines Johnson. It also comes as we celebrate our 125th anniversary as an institution of higher learning, preparing generations of Bobcats to be engaged global citizens. 

This is a chance for TXST and San Marcos to shine on the international stage like never before, with hundreds of media outlets descending on our campus before and during the event. Today, I will be charging a TXST Debate Planning Task Force to guide and direct the execution of this monumental occasion.  

Through December, we will be learning more about our role and requirements as a debate host. After we return from the holiday break in the new year, we will hold a university-wide forum to let you know what we have learned, our plans for moving forward, and how we can work as a community to make this an incredible learning experience for our students while telling the world about TXST.  

The debate provides our students the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to personally engage with the democratic process. The TXST Debate Planning Task Force will develop an inclusive process to identify ways to incorporate this topic into curriculum and events when appropriate.  

I am also pleased to announce distinguished TXST alumnus and former Chair of the TSUS Board of Regents Jack Martin (‘73) will chair the TXST Presidential Debate Committee which will coordinate fundraising efforts related to the debate.

This is great news for TXST! I look forward to sharing more details with you soon. In the meantime, please visit our university website debate.txst.edu for information and updates.

Sincerely,

Kelly Damphousse, Ph.D.
President