West Texas A&M University

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West Texas A&M University (also known as WTAMU), part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small town south of Amarillo, Texas. West Texas opened on September 20, 1910. West Texas A&M University was originally called West Texas State Normal College and its intent was being Texas' one of the seven state funded teachers' colleges.

Contents

1 History
2 Campus
3 Athletics
4 Notable people and alumni
5 References
6 External links

History

In the first school year, West Texas State Normal College had 152 students and 16 faculty members and its first president was Robert B. Cousins. After a year since the Texas State House of Representatives approved the bill to establish West Texas State Normal College, construction began the school's Administration Building. The building consisted of the school's only classrooms, laboratory, library, and offices. On March 25, 1914, the school's only building was burned down but classes would continued in local churches, courthouses, and vacant buildings. In 1916, a new Administration Building opened.

In 1919, the first four-year college degrees were granted. The following years later the college was admitted to American Association of Teachers Colleges in 1922, Association of Texas Colleges in 1923, Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1925. The school changed its name to West Texas State Teachers College in 1923. In the early 1930's the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society built its museum on the campus. In 1949, the school again changed its name to West Texas State College.

During the 1960s, the school changed from a regional teacher's college into a state university. In 1963, the Texas Governor John Connally signed a bill to change the school's name to West Texas State University. The newly named school would gain a College of Arts and Sciences, a graduate school, and professional schools of business and teacher education after obtaining the status. Near the end of the 1960s, West Texas State obtained its own board of regents, established a School of Agriculture, a School of Fine Arts, and created a Department of Nursing. By 1970, the student population reached close to 8,000.

However in the 1970s, the school's enrollment was going down. The primary reasons were the changes in the selective service system and increases in tuition. The university's funding was based largely on enrollment driven caused serious financial problems for the school. The college radio station KWTS-FM began broadcasting in 1972. The West Texas State athletics were in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference but the school decided to changed its status to Division II and the Lone Star Conference in 1984. By 1987, the school's enrollment hit a 22-year low.

Early 1989, the West Texas State board of regents contemplated to join either the University of Texas or the Texas A&M University System. The university ultimately joined the Texas A&M University System on September 1, 1990 and started to use the name, West Texas A&M University in 1993. The school's first president as a part of the Texas A&M University System was Barry B. Thompson. Under Thompson, the school's enrollment grew and new programs were added to the curriculum. In addition early in Thompson's tenure, he dropped the school's football program but it would later return a year later without a scholarship basis.

After Thompson left to obtain a higher position in the Texas A&M University System, Russell C. Long became the new president in 1994. The school had renovated buildings, maintained its student enrollment growth, and added its first Ph.D. in agriculture under his leadership. In late 2005, Long retired from his position as the school's president after holding it for over a decade. As of 2006, the current president is J. Patrick O’Brien. West Texas A&M University has approximately 7,000 students. The university contains over 60 undergraduate-degree programs and 40 graduate-degree programs.

Campus

The "Old Main" building at the campus of West Texas A&M University

The Administration Building now called "Old Main." It went through a $5 million renovation beginning in February 1987. The Old Main building consist of four levels and houses the administrative and enrollment management offices as well as classrooms and laboratories. The Division of Education, the Department of History and Political Science and the Division of Nursing are based in this building.

West Texas A&M University Classroom Center

The Classroom Center was built in 1968. The four-story building contains classrooms, computer and writing labs, and faculty offices. The College of Business and the Department of English and Modern Languages are located in the Classroom Center.

Mary Moody Northen Hall accommodates music studios, dance studios, public art gallery, recital hall, art studios, computer labs and classrooms.

The Fine Arts Building is the home of the Department of Music and Dance and Department of Art, Communication and Theatre. The facility houses music studios, music halls, theatre rooms, school newspaper newsroom, a television studio, broadcast editing suites and the student run radio studios. A new Fine Arts Complex is being built to replace the Fine Arts Building and it is expected to be open in mid-2006.

The Agriculture and Natural Sciences Building was constructed in 1974. The three-story building houses the Division of Agriculture and the Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The building contains classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices.

The Texas history museum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is located on the campus of West Texas A&M University since the early 1930s.

Athletics

West Texas A&M University's sports teams participates in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference. Their athletic teams are nicknamed the Buffaloes or simply called the "Buffs." As of 2005, West Texas A&M University students compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, equestrian, football, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball. The equestrian, softball, and volleyball teams are comprised of women only.

The football team plays its home games in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium and they won their first Lone Star Conference championship in 2005 since joining the conference in 1986.

Notable people and alumni

Tully Blanchard, professional wrestler
Maurice Cheeks, NBA basketball player and coach
Larry Combest, politician
Terry Funk, professional wrestler
Alondra Johnson, CFL Canadian football player
Mercury Morris, NFL American football player
Georgia O'Keeffe, artist (faculty member)
Merced Solis, professional wrestler
French Stewart, actor (attended 1982–1983)
Duane Thomas, NFL American football player
Chaun Thompson, NFL American football player
Donald E. Powell, Former Chairman of the FDIC and Current Federal Coordinator of Gulf Coast Rebuilding

References

[West Texas A&M University] from the Handbook of Texas Online

. Accessed on October 8, 2005.

External links

The Texas A&M University System

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