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August 08, 2007
A Classroom of a Different Sort
Take a course in hill country paradise.
Written by Sally Logue Post
Sculptor and Horn professor of art James Watkins demonstrates pottery kiln techniques.
Classrooms all look pretty much alike. Giant pecan trees, a crystal-clear river, birds singing. Not what you thought? Well, that’s the basic setup at Texas Tech University’s Junction site.
Junction offers classes in a natural setting and with an intensity that most students do not get a chance to experience. The campus, located on the edge of the Texas Hill Country along the banks of the South Llano River, provides short sessions during the summer, and what are known as intersessions immediately after the fall and spring semesters.
Art courses flourish in the natural beauty of the 400-acre campus as do photography and natural science courses such as mammology and ornithology. Music is beginning to take hold and if Grant Hall has his way, even more variety is in the offing for the future.
"We’re experimenting with courses to see what will draw students down here. The courses we have are naturals for our campus, but I think there is room for more," said Hall, who is the academic director at Junction." During the intersessions, we have about 100 students and eight professors. But our summer session classes drop down to about 40 or 50 students. I’d like to grow the summer sessions to about 100 students."
Intersession courses are about 15 days long. Summer session classes, about three weeks. Students earn the same three hours for classes in Junction that they would if the class were taken on the Lubbock campus. The difference is that students take one class and spend all day engaged in learning.
“As a professor I really love the environment here," said Hall. "The teaching environment is very different from the traditional classroom. The students and professors are basically living together here. They spend six or eight hours a day or more studying their subject, talking about related topics and working hard. If you are truly interested in learning about a particular subject and you want to experience some of the very best professors Texas Tech has to offer, this is the best bang you can get for your buck."
An Artistic Retreat
For Betsy Murphy, an art teacher in the Leander School District, Junction offers her a chance to do what she loves most - art.
"This is a great way to get away from everything except doing art, reading about art, writing about art. Art is my favorite thing, so it couldn’t get any better than this," said Murphy, who is working on her master’s of art education through the Junction program.
Andrew Martin, an associate professor of drawing and painting at Texas Tech, was Murphy’s teacher this summer.
"There is an interesting psychological environment here where you feel very absorbed and concentrated on what you’re doing," he said. "A student or a professor doesn’t have to worry about everyday life issues that are present on the main campus."
Facts at a Glance
Intersession courses are approx. 15 days long.
Summer session classes are approx. three weeks.
Students earn the same three hours for classes in Junction that they would if the class were taken on the Lubbock campus.
The difference is that students take one class and spend all day engaged in learning.
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Contact
For more information about the course offersings at the Junction campus or to register for classes:
P.O. Box 186
254 Red Raider Ln.
Junction, TX 76849
325.446.2301
325.446.4011fax
or
Students can totally immerse themselves in their area of study during summer sessions at Junction.
Sculptor and Horn professor of art James Watkins has been coming to the Junction campus since the 1980s.
"The teaching here is intense. You live here 24/7. The students are here all day and many of them work late into the night. But there’s still time to sit and talk and get to know each other as people. It’s all part of the adventure of taking a class at Junction," said Watkins.
Since his inspiration for much of his own art is drawn from nature, Watkins especially uses the beauty of the campus in his classes.
"The campus offers such a nice contrast. You can walk through cactus and mesquite in one place. Then you go down along the river where the ancient pecan trees are very green and lush. Deer will come to within 10 feet of you. There are wonderful birds. The students use their surroundings in their sculpture."
Preparing Future Generations of Red Raiders
Junction currently plays a vital role in the success of future Red Raiders as the home of Red Raider Camp each summer. Red Raider Camp is open to incoming freshmen to allow them to meet new friends, learn school traditions and get a jump on what’s facing them when they begin their first semester.
Junction is also home to Texas Tech’s Outdoor School. The program takes a hands-on, learning-is-fun approach to teaching the science requirements for the fifth-grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) examination. More than 30 schools go through the program each year. There is also a home school version of Outdoor School.
The Outdoor School offers a variety of other programs ranging from the Outdoor Professional Development Institute, which offers numerous workshops to Student Teacher Safari, and the Junior Scientist Mentor Program.
Junction is also home to the Texas Tech’s Field Research Station. The facility was established in June of 2002 to provide a laboratory and classroom environment for undergraduate and graduate students from numerous universities, institutes, and public schools.
The campus also offers many programs for the surrounding community including art classes and is the site of numerous meetings and seminars.
"Texas Tech has a long academic history at Junction dating back to the early 1970s," says Hall. "Things were pretty well set up when I got here, but there is more we could do. This is a beautiful part of the state. We offer students an educational experience they are unlikely to find elsewhere. Where else could you work in class all morning, tube down the South Llano River to cool off in the afternoon, and then spend the evening under the stars sitting with an outstanding professor and just talk about your art, your science or your life?"
More information about the offerings at the Junction campus or to register for classes, go to www.depts.ttu.edu/hillcountry/junction.
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.
Web layout by Gretchen Pressley