Texas State Distinguished Alumnus Don Flores to deliver keynote during summer 2022 commencement

Dr. Dionicio "Don" Flores, member of The Texas State University System (TSUS) Board of Regents and a Texas State University Distinguished Alumnus, will serve as the keynote speaker during one of three commencement ceremonies Aug. 6 at Texas State University.

More than 1,400 candidates for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees are expected to take part in commencement events.

Flores will speak during the 10 a.m. ceremony, attended by degree candidates from the McCoy College of Business Administration, College of Applied Arts and Graduate College.

Degree candidates from the College of Fine Arts and Communication, College of Education, College of Health Professions and Graduate College will attend the 2 p.m. ceremony. 

Degree candidates from the College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Engineering, University College and Graduate College will attend the 6 p.m. ceremony.

All commencement ceremonies will be held in Strahan Arena at the University Events Center. Transportation and parking information is available at txstate.edu/commencement.

Flores earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Texas State in 1973. Flores maintained ties with his alma mater as former chairman of the TSUS Board of Regents, past president of the Texas State University Alumni Association and member of Texas State’s Development Foundation. In 1994, Flores received Texas State’s Distinguished Alumnus Award and in 2004 was named a member of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Hall of Fame. In 2015, Texas State awarded Flores with a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa.

In 2009, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Flores to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents, serving as first vice chairman until 2015. Flores was appointed to the TSUS Board of Regents by Gov. George W. Bush in 1999, serving through 2008, and was reappointed in 2019.

Joining Gannett in March 1985, Flores held editing and management positions at the Tucson Citizen in Tucson, Arizona; The Santa Fe New Mexican, in New Mexico; the Visalia Times-Delta in Visalia, California; and Gannett West in Reno, Nevada, before his promotions and transfers to Iowa City and later El Paso. As a longtime journalist and newspaper executive, Flores was president and publisher of the Iowa City Press-Citizen in Iowa City, Iowa, before going to El Paso in 1993. After retiring as vice president and editor of the El Paso Times in 2008, he formed Flores Media Consulting where he is a community outreach consultant and media specialist.

Flores has been active in many industry associations, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He served on the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, and multiple times as a jurist in the Pulitzer Prize competitions. Flores is also a past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

While there is no substitute for attending a commencement ceremony in person, Texas State will stream the ceremonies live over the internet for friends and family members who are unable to attend. That live-stream is available on the Texas State commencement web page at www.txstate.edu/commencement.