Texas Tech to Absorb Alumni Association in Push for Efficiency, Alignment

uuTexas Tech University is planning to merge with the Texas Tech Alumni Association. This will allow for better coordination, less duplication, and more help for students and alumni, according to university officials. Last month, a statement from the university, the Texas Tech University System, and the leadership of the Alumni Association announced that the change will take place in September.

In a recent interview, University President Lawrence Schovanec talked about the transition in more detail and stressed the need to better align the association's activities with the university's general goals. The change will make the association less of an independent charity and more of a university-run organization.

Schovanec said that many of the Alumni Association's traditional parts will stay the same. These include the Ring Ceremony, Texas Techsan magazine, and many service events. "We will keep the parts of the Alumni Association's organization that are important to their mission," he said. "But we will also be on the lookout for ways to save time and money."

By September 1, when current association workers become university staff, there will be changes in the staff. It will soon lose its 501(c)(3) nonprofit standing. Curt Langford, who used to be CEO of the Association, will still be in charge but with a different title.

“This is about making the Alumni Association better at what it has always done,” Schovanec explained. "And hopefully, most alumni will not notice any difference—except that students will get more help and the university they love will become more aligned with them."

The association's 104 alumni chapters, which include foreign groups, will stay together. However, the national board will play a more advisory role. The group of almost 26,000 people gave out more than $800,000 in scholarships in 2024. Schovanec stated that the funds would continue to support students who have better financial aid planning.

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