Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick G. Slabach, who has led the Fort Worth school for more than a decade, will step down from his role in July.
Slabach recently accepted an offer to serve as dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law, of which he is a graduate.
The appointment must be approved by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees at their February board meeting.
“Being asked to return home to help lead my alma mater, one of the oldest public law schools in America, is an honor,” Slabach said in a release.
Before his tenure, Slabach served as dean of what was previously the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and as the chief executive officer of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Texas Wesleyan’s endowment doubled under Slabach’s leadership, and administrators invested more than $50 million into the campus, according to school data.
Freshman applications have increased by more than 280% since Slabach took over in 2011, university officials said. Overall freshman enrollment has increased more than 80% with the school earning distinctions as both a Hispanic Serving Institution and Minority Serving Institution.
About 2,620 students are currently enrolled at the university.
“President Fred Slabach has been an incredible leader, not only for Texas Wesleyan University but for all of Fort Worth,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in a statement.
Texas Wesleyan administrators created a website to share more information on the search for the university’s next president as it becomes available.