State of Higher Education

Each year, the Texas Higher Education Commissioner delivers the State of Higher Education Address, which is delivered as part of the Annual Leadership Conference. The speech lays the foundation for higher education in Texas for the following year, as well as reflects on the past year’s accomplishments and challenges.
In his 2022 address, Commissioner Harrison Keller called on leaders across the state in higher education, industry, philanthropy, and government to seize the moment and strengthen higher education for impact at scale.

Now is the time to provide far greater opportunities for all Texans to unlock their potential through Texas higher education. To educate many more people to higher standards than we’ve ever achieved before.

Harrison KellerHigher Education Commissioner

2022 State of Higher Education

In his annual State of Higher Education address, Commissioner Harrison Keller outlined the three challenges facing Texas higher education today: educational attainment, workforce education, and research and development.
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2021 State of Higher Education

In Commissioner Keller’s 2021 address, he lays out the vision for how Texas higher education will leverage the generational opportunities in front of us and raise the bar to meet the growing demands of our state.
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2020 State of Higher Education

In his 2020 address, Commissioner Keller underscored the impact of COVID-19 on higher education institutions, stating the pandemic has been the most significant disruption since the end of the Second World War. However, despite the challenges, Keller emphasized higher education as an essential part of the solution for how Texas will overcome and emerge even stronger from the pandemic.
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2019 State of Higher Education

Appointed in October 2019, Commissioner Keller delivered his first State of Higher Education Address less than two months after assuming the role.
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