Debbie M. Cottrell, Ph.D.
Debbie M. Cottrell, Ph.D.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Debbie Cottrell became the 16th president of Texas Lutheran University on July 1, 2019. Prior to assuming the presidency of TLU, she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at TLU for seven years. Prior to joining the TLU community, Dr. Cottrell served as Provost of William Peace University in North Carolina, where she led academic affairs, enrollment, and student life. She has also served as Associate Dean of the Faculty and Director of Graduate Programs at Smith College in Massachusetts. Dr. Cottrell began her career in higher education at Cottey College in Missouri, where she taught history and government and served as Assistant Dean of the Faculty.
A first-generation college student, Dr. Cottrell holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s and Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to attending graduate school, Dr. Cottrell taught middle school in Waco and worked as an editor at the Texas Historical Commission in Austin.
Her scholarly interests are in the area of U.S. women’s history and the history of education, along with a distinct appreciation for regional history, particularly the region of Texas. She is the author of a biography of Annie Webb Blanton, an educator who became the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. This book received the Liz Carpenter Award for Best Scholarly Book of the Year on the History of Women and Texas from the Texas State Historical Association in 1994. (biography from Texas Lutheran University website)
