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Presidential Bio


J.W. Crawford PortraitJames W. Crawford III, Vice Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Retired),

is the 14th President of Texas Southern University (TSU). He was appointed by the TSU Board of Regents in May 2024. Crawford is a decorated veteran, strategic planner and decision-maker, academic leader, collaborator, and problem solver governed by three guiding principles: faith, family, and service.

A 1979 student-athlete graduate of Belmont Abbey College, he was commissioned through the JAG Corps Student Program in 1983, following graduation from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. He later earned a Master of Laws degree (Ocean and Coastal Law) from the University of Miami School of Law and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. In 2008, he was named an MIT Seminar XXI Fellow.

Crawford previously served as a consultant on International Humanitarian Law for Palantir Technologies for developing artificial intelligence solutions to improve protections for civilians and civilian infrastructure during armed conflict. From 2020 to 2023, he served as the first male president of Felician University, a 2,100-student Roman Catholic university in Lodi and Rutherford, NJ. He is well-recognized for steering the University through the COVID-19 pandemic and securing $17 million in grants for university capital improvements, including expansion of the University’s technology infrastructure and STEM programming while delivering a premium educational experience to the underserved and first-generation student population of New Jersey. As president, Crawford reenergized the staff and faculty by restructuring the executive leadership team, increasing faculty involvement in university affairs, and establishing a Staff Assembly to operate as part of the shared governance apparatus of the institution. He also completely rebuilt and revitalized the University’s relationship with the Borough of Rutherford Mayor, City Council and Chief of Police.

 

Organizational Chart Apr 2024

Core Values

  • T - TEAMWORK is our strength. We, at TSU, believe that working together, we achieve more.
  • S - STUDENT SUCCESS, FIRST in everything we undertake; if students see it, they can do it.
  • U - UNPRECEDENTED in our resolve to succeed and be ACCOUNTABLE for what we do.
  • P - PROUD to be an INDEPENDENT, URBAN UNIVERSITY, committed to SERVING OUR STUDENTS & COMMUNITY.
  • R - RESEARCH-DRIVEN and resolved in our commitment to COLLABORATION and EXCELLENCE.
  • O - OPTIMISTIC in our ability to be INNOVATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL in deriving and advancing new ideas.
  • U - UNITED in everything we do, UNBEATABLE at what we do, and UNRELENTING in our approach to progress.
  • D - DISTINCT in our academic programs and in DIVERSITY of thought.

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