History

 

1925 – 1932 Dean William J. Miller

In fall 1925, Texas Technological College School of Engineering was born. It began with 313 students enrolled, and there were only two faculty members – Dean William J. Miller and Professor Edmond Weymond Camp. The Textile Engineering Building (now Industrial Engineering) housed all classes.

October 9, 1925 – James H. Murdough comes to the school with an MIT background and industrial experience as one of the first members of its faculty.

Dean Miller gets $125,000 from Governor Miriam Ferguson to build a new Engineering building.

1928 – West Engineering Building (now Electrical and Computer Engineering) opens.

Enrollment in the school of engineering grows steadily.

1932 – 1949 Dean Otto Vincent Adams

1933 – Dean Otto Vincent Adams is instrumental in preventing the transference of Engineering and Agriculture to Texas A&M.

Enrollment grew from 378 to 2,146 during this time period with an increase from 19 to 48 in staff.

Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical, and Textile Engineering curricula were accredited by the Engineering Council for Professional Development.

Dean Adams made a commitment to those men who had to postpone their education to go to war to help them finish their degrees and work in the emerging industries.

Teaching was the primary function.

1949 – 1955 Dean Dysart Edgar Holcomb

Very few graduate programs and no research were in progress. There were high teaching loads and little funding for clerical help and infrastructure.

Enrollment in Textile Engineering decreased to a trickle, but the degree was required by law to be offered.

Agricultural Engineering was part of the School of Agriculture, until Dean Holcomb had it transferred to the School of Engineering.

1955 – 1982 Dean John Ross Bradford

Dean Bradford's goals for the school: (1) accreditations for all departments, (2) develop graduate programs leading to PhD, and (3) build a strong research program.

1956 – The Engineering Option, which created an Engineering Physics baccalaureate degree, was transferred from Physics to Engineering.

1958 – The school got its first computer unit, an IBM 1620. Soon afterward, Tech received two more on loan from the United States Air Force along with a research contract from Holloman AFB.

Feb. 1958 – The Institute of Science and Engineering (ISE) was established as a channel through which gift funds and fees from research projects could replenish the growing research organization.

A water resources study was made possible through state funds and money from the ISE.

Dean Bradford created an interdisciplinary PhD program which was the first such program in the Southwestern U.S.

The dean's efforts led to an increase in quality faculty, the overhauling of the curricula, and the adoption of the core curriculum for freshmen and sophomores.

1959 – Chemical Engineering and Chemistry were broken into separate departments to enable accreditation of Chemical Engineering.

A Master's of Engineering degree was created.

1960 – The Petroleum Engineering department was accredited.

1960 – The new Chemical Engineering building opened.

1963 – Arnold J. Gully was hired as chair of Chemical Engineering.

1966 - Water Resources Center created.

1967 – WIN (Western Information Network), the brainchild of Dean Bradford, was created by the Texas State legislature through House Bill 692. It was a cooperative endeavor among 18 institutions of higher education in West Texas .

1969 – The International Textile Symposium took place, which brought research funding and the Textile Research Center was created.

1969 – Arnold J. Gully became Assoc. Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. Implementing his concept of collaborative research, the following centers were created:

Textile Research Center

Institute of Biotechnology

Institute for Environmental Technology

Institute for Systems Analysis

Institute for Energy Research Created

Other research endeavors fell under the aegis of Institute for University Research, which was much broader in scope.

1970 – Engineering Technology, where emphasis is placed on the application of existing technology, was formed.

Institute for Disaster Research

September 1, 1969 – the name of the College was changed from Texas Technological College to Texas Tech Universtiy.

1970 – The department of Engineering Analysis and Design was created.

1970 – 1972 (?) The administration of the college moved to the old College of Architecture building, which became the Engineering Center.

Early 1970s – Pulsed Power Research Center was created for plasma research which began in 1966.

1982 - 1984 Interim Dean Jimmy H. Smith

1984 - 1994 Dean Mason Somerville

1985 - Established the Texas Tech Research Foundation and its engineering affiliate, the Center for Advanced Research and Engineering.

1995 - 1998 Dean Jorge I. Aunon

1998 - 1999 Interim Dean Kishor Mehta

1999 - 2002 Dean William M. Marcy

2002 - 2004 Interim Dean James L. Smith

2004 Dean Pamela A. Eibeck

2004 Dr. Kishor Mehta inducted into the National Academy of Engineering