Steven H. Tallant is the former president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a part of the Texas A&M University System. He was succeeded by Dr. Mark A. Hussey in January 2019. He is a member of the executive committee for the Texas Council of Public Universities Presidents and Chancellors and a past chair of the Lone Star Council of Presidents. Tallant has been a member of several off-site review committees for the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

Commission on College. In addition, he is a board member for KEDT/South Texas Public Broadcasting System, Inc.

Early life

Tallant was raised in Paris, Texas, and graduated from

Paris Junior College Paris Junior College (PJC) is a public community college with three campuses in Texas: Paris, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs. The college was founded in 1924 as a campus of Paris Independent School District. Nearly 5,000 students are enrolled ...

. Tallant earned his B.A. in sociology from the University of Florida, his M.S.W. from the University of Utah, and his Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a graduate of the Governor's Executive Development Program through the

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs (or LBJ School of Public Affairs) is a graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin that was founded in 1970 to offer training in public policy analysis and administration for students that ar ...

at The University of Texas.

Military service

Tallant enlisted in the United States Navy after graduating from junior college and was stationed at NATO-Naval Support Activity in Naples, Italy. In 1973, he left military service at the rank of RM2 ( radioman second class). In 1978, he re-entered military service as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. He spent the next 16 years as a uniformed social worker with stints at Elsworth AFB (South Dakota), Scott AFB (Illinois), Lajes Field (Azores), and Keesler AFB (Mississippi). His final assignment was at the Pentagon where he served as chief of Air Force Family Research.

Career in higher education

Tallant began his career in academia after retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 1994. He joined the Department of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in September 1994 as a professor of social work. In 2000, he became associate vice chancellor and director of graduate programs and then served as interim provost in 2004. In November 2004, he was named associate vice chancellor for academic affairs before serving again as interim provost from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, Tallant became provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he was responsible for all undergraduate and graduate academic programs. He also provided leadership in several restructuring initiatives, including the creation of the College of Education and Human Sciences and the College of Nursing and Health Services. His research areas include ethical dilemmas for military social workers, for which he has been widely cited; meta-analysis; and group work. Tallant became the 19th president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville in October 2008. In his first six years as president, the university experienced a 54 percent increase in enrollment and a 44 percent increase in research expenditures. He has been recognized for his commitment to higher education and the community many times throughout his career; most recently; he received the 2013 “Citizen of the Year Award” from the Kingsville Noon

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and the 2013 “Community Leader Award” from LULAC Council 1. He also is a recipient of the President's Award from the Corpus Christi chapter of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

and the “Humanitarian of the Year” from LULAC Council #1. In 2011, he was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce and in 2010 he was named “Newsmaker of the Year” by the Kingsville Record. The Kleberg Hispanic Chamber of Commerce honored him with its “Special Leadership Award” in 2011. In 2012, Texas A&M University System

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

John Sharp appointed him to the Texas A&M System Office of Sponsored Research Services Advisory Board. The same year, State Representative Todd Hunter appointed him to the Education Workforce Task Force in Corpus Christi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallant, Steven H. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Paris, Texas Military personnel from Texas American academic administrators Texas A&M University–Kingsville Texas A&M University System people United States Air Force officers United States Navy sailors University of Florida alumni Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs alumni University of Utah alumni University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire faculty University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work alumni