Monica Christopher, President of Dallas Campus, Texas Woman’s University

In an interview with Invest:, Monica Christopher, president of the Dallas campus at Texas Woman’s University, shared insights into her early tenure, emphasizing significant milestones and achievements in advancing the university’s role in the Dallas community and its workforce development initiatives.

Reflecting on your initial months as the president of Texas Woman’s University’s Dallas campus, what have been the most significant milestones and achievements so far?

I started this role on Feb. 1 of this year. Previously, neither the Dallas nor the Houston campus had a president. In 2021, the Texas Legislature approved TWU becoming the state’s seventh higher education system. We already had our Dallas and Houston campuses, alongside our flagship in Denton. After the legislature’s unanimous approval, we began developing strategies to grow our enrollment and impact workforce and community needs in Dallas and Houston.

We’ve just hired a president for the Houston campus, Dr. Monica Williams. She previously held a leadership role at the University of North Texas at Dallas and is a Houston native. While she will focus on Houston, I’m working here in Dallas. My background is not in academia — I spent the last 15 years working in philanthropy at Communities Foundation of Texas. However, I have established many local relationships in higher education and healthcare.

At the Dallas campus, all our programs are related to allied health. Over the last seven months, I’ve focused on understanding higher education challenges and opportunities, particularly in North Texas. I’ve been actively building connections, as TWU Dallas isn’t as well-known as our flagship campus in Denton. Part of my role has been to promote the excellence of our faculty and academic programs, as well as the significant number of students we graduate, particularly in allied health, to meet the workforce needs in the Dallas region.

We’ve also been engaging with philanthropists and foundations to garner support for new initiatives and programs. Philanthropic support will be essential for our growth and the success of these projects. Finally, I’ve been working to build a unique culture at the Dallas campus, which has about 1,700 students, some of whom are enrolled in online programs. The Southwestern Medical District, where we are located, offers unique opportunities distinct from our campuses in Denton and Houston. I want us to lean into those opportunities and establish a recognized identity for TWU Dallas. 

How do you see Texas Woman’s University’s role in the medical community evolving over the next few years?

Currently, our Dallas campus offers nursing programs ranging from bachelor’s degrees to doctoral degrees. We also have graduate programs in physical therapy and occupational therapy, including clinical doctorates and PhDs in these disciplines. Additionally, our healthcare administration program, offered through the TWU College of Business, provides master’s-level education, allowing students to pursue an MHA combined with an MBA or as a distinct degree.

Many of our students are already working in the healthcare sector, and we’re helping them advance their careers and prepare for leadership roles within hospitals, clinics, and other medical providers. While we’re graduating a significant number of allied health professionals for the Dallas area, we believe there is potential to do much more. The workforce demands in Dallas continue to accelerate as more people move here, which, in turn, increases the need for a robust healthcare infrastructure.

A nursing executive at Parkland Memorial Hospital recently mentioned that 30% of their newly hired nurses in the last 12 months were TWU graduates. Currently, about 40% of all allied health doctoral degrees in Texas are awarded to TWU graduates. However, with a projected shortage of 60,000 nurses in Texas by 2030, we see a tremendous opportunity to provide even more qualified practitioners to meet this growing demand.

How is the university working with local businesses, nonprofits, and government in Dallas to build a stronger workforce and support relocations?

TWU actively participates in various education and workforce pipeline initiatives in Dallas and the surrounding region. We are heavily involved with the Commit Partnership, an organization started by Todd Williams that focuses on the continuum from K-12 education through higher education and workforce preparedness. We also collaborate with the Dallas Regional Chamber, where all higher education chancellors and presidents engage in regular conversations about challenges and opportunities.

We’re part of the Dallas County Promise, Tarrant County Promise, and Collin County Promise programs, which offer eligible undergraduate students an opportunity to pursue education with a zero-tuition guarantee. This funding helps students obtain the credentials and degrees necessary to pursue living-wage careers that align with the region’s current and future workforce needs.

Recently, TWU, Dallas College, Texas A&M Commerce, and UNT Dallas announced a partnership aimed at simplifying credit transfers between institutions. This initiative helps students avoid losing time and money due to non-transferable credits, enabling them to complete their degrees more efficiently. Our goal is to equip students to become contributing members of society by overcoming system-level barriers to their education. While we’ve made progress, there are still many opportunities ahead, and the initiatives we’ve started are already showing positive results for the region.

How is Texas Woman’s University increasing diversity in the medical sector?

We are deeply committed to our student population, which, according to our data, mirrors the diversity of the Dallas region in terms of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomics. Our student body is racially and ethnically diverse, and we are particularly proud that 90% of our students are women. As the largest university system dedicated to educating and empowering women, this is a significant point of pride for us.

Additionally, TWU is well-known for its support of students who are parents, veterans, first-generation college students, and individuals who have aged out of the foster care system. These non-traditional students, who may face unique life challenges, are actually becoming the new norm in higher education. We provide these students with the necessary support systems to help them enroll, finance their education, and complete their degree programs. This commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is deeply embedded in TWU’s DNA, and we are proud that our student population reflects the demographics of our region.

How is Texas Woman’s University leveraging technology, and what role do you think technology will play in higher education in the coming years?

Technology, particularly AI, is becoming increasingly important in higher education. At our recent fall assembly, where we welcomed back faculty and staff at the Denton campus, AI was a major topic of discussion. Our provost shared examples of how faculty are already using AI to enhance the student experience, improve learning outcomes, and make their jobs more efficient, especially given the large number of students they support.

AI is not something we can ignore — it’s here to stay, and we’re still in the early stages of understanding its full potential. The message we conveyed to our faculty and staff is that AI should be embraced with excitement, not fear, as it offers many opportunities to support students and faculty in various ways.

For example, one of our physical therapy faculty members used ChatGPT to help students understand complex concepts. By prompting ChatGPT to explain a particular concept in physical therapy, she was able to convey the information more effectively, leading to better student comprehension. This is just one of many ways our faculty are experimenting with AI to enhance education.

Dr. Lee Brown, a faculty member in the College of Business, is developing a strong center of expertise around AI. He has briefed our Board of Regents and participated in recent faculty discussions.

What are your top priorities and goals for the Texas Woman’s University Dallas campus over the next couple of years?

Our primary focus at the Dallas campus is to make data-driven decisions that will guide an intentional growth strategy. We currently have about 1,700 students enrolled, but we see significant opportunities for expansion. Like many of our higher education peers, we are exploring how to provide greater access to higher education for a wide range of learners in our region, helping them build workforce credentials now and in the future.

Our strategy is multi-pronged. We’re considering expanding some of our existing programs, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, healthcare administration, and nursing, which are all high-demand fields. We’re also looking at introducing new programs that address specific workforce needs, such as our new aeronautics program at the Denton campus. This program aims to address the national shortage of highly trained pilots, particularly women, by providing targeted education in this field.

We’re not interested in duplicating efforts or competing with other institutions. Instead, we’re focused on identifying gaps in the market and fields that need more women to build a stronger workforce. We’re making thoughtful, strategic choices based on market data and input from external partners. While we can’t be all things to all people, we’re excited about the unique opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Unlike some regions that have seen declines in enrollment, we’re in a strong position to seize this opportunity, and we believe TWU can play a significant role in shaping the region’s future workforce.