Faculty Profile for Mr. Gary T. Ray

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Since 2016, Gary T. Ray has been associate vice president for enrollment management at Texas State University. He manages the undergraduate enrollment management team, which includes the admissions office, the welcome center, financial aid and scholarships, the one-stop center, the university registrar, and the veteran affairs Office.

During the last eight years, the Texas State freshman class has grown by 42% from 5,732 to 8,165, and undergraduate enrollment has increased from 34,244 to 36,522 in fall 2024.
The enrollment management team has successfully designed and created a new future student welcome center, a new University branding campaign, scholarship optimization plans, a Bobcat family portal, enrollment dashboards, test-optional admissions, strategic transfer partnerships, stop-out recruitment initiatives, and a one-stop student support center.

Before joining Texas State University, Mr. Ray served as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. During his tenure at TWU, the overall enrollment grew from 13,300 to 15,600 or 14.6 percent, including five first-year class records.

Mr. Ray previously held the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. At Lee, he directed the enrollment management division during a dramatic growth period (151%) and set university enrollment records for twenty consecutive years.
In 2015, he was inducted into Lee University's Hall of Fame for Distinguished Service and Alpha Gamma Chi Alumnus of the Year 2010. He was also inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in 2010 and selected as Lee University Helen DeVos College of Education Alumnus of the Year in November 2024.

In 2010, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers recognized Mr. Ray as a national finalist for the Strategic Enrollment Management Award of Excellence. His career highlights include 24 institutional enrollment records and 20 record-breaking first-year classes.

Mr. Ray has a master's degree from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Lee University. He has also completed educational leadership certification at the University of West Georgia and Harvard University's Management Development Program.

Research Interests

Scholarship leveraging and using AI in Enrollment Management