Texas Tech University

Mission

To provide the highest standard of excellence in higher education while pursuing continuous quality improvement;

To foster the intellectual and personal development of students;

To stimulate the greatest degree of meaningful research; and

To support faculty and staff in satisfying those whom we serve.

The Campuses

More than 24,000 students attend classes in Lubbock on the 1,839-acre university campus. The university also operates the Research Center-East Campus (Lubbock); Texas Tech University Farm at Pantex, an agricultural research farm of approximately 16,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle; and the Texas Tech University Campus at Junction, an educational facility consisting of 411 acres in the Texas Hill Country.

Location

Lubbock, with a population of nearly 200,000, is located on top of the caprock on the South Plains of Texas. Its climate is excellent, with over 3,550 hours of sunshine every year. Summers are dry and not extremely hot, while winters are dry and moderate (average annual rainfall is only 18 inches). An average annual temperature of 60 degrees coupled with the average noon humidity of 46 percent combine to make Lubbock comfortable year round. The city lies 320 miles west of Dallas and 320 miles southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Several airlines and an interstate bus line serve the city, as well as four U.S. highways, including an interstate highway.

History

Created by legislative action on February 10, 1923, Texas Technological College was located in Lubbock. Texas Tech opened in the fall of 1925 with six buildings and an enrollment of 910. The subdivisions for instruction, called "colleges" of Liberal Arts, Household Economics, Agriculture, and Engineering in the Preliminary Announcement of First Annual Catalogue 1925-1926, became "schools" before the opening date for instruction in 1925, and "Household" had become "Home Economics." In 1933 these units became, in this order, the "divisions" of Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics, and Arts and Sciences. In 1944 the designation reverted to "schools" listed alphabetically.

Graduate instruction was begun in the fall of 1927 within the School of Liberal Arts. In 1935 a "Division of Graduate Studies" was established; in 1954 it became the Graduate School. The Division of Commerce, created in 1942, became the Division of Business Administration in 1947, and the School of Business Administration in 1956. Both the School of Law, provided for in 1965, and the School of Education, organized in 1966, began instruction in 1967. The School of Agriculture became the School of Agricultural Sciences in 1968.

By action of the Texas State Legislature, Texas Technological College formally became Texas Tech University on September 1, 1969. At that same time the schools of Agricultural Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, and Home Economics became known as "colleges." Architecture became a college in 1986. Two colleges changed their names in 1993 to reflect the broadening fields each serves: the College of Agricultural Sciences became the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Home Economics became the College of Human Sciences. The Honors College was established in the fall of 1998. In the fall of 1999 the enrollment was 24,249.

Texas Tech was first accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1928 and has been continuously accredited since that time. Texas Tech is currently classified as a Research University II by the Carnegie Foundation, making it one of the top 125 universities in the nation. Texas Tech University is a member of the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech fosters diversity among its students. A new International Cultural Center provides a unique approach to international education and contributes to ongoing efforts to diversify the campus.

Although it is one of the youngest major universities in the nation, a spirit of intellectual growth pervades the campus. Many of the special facilities for research, such as the Computer Center, the Advanced Technology Learning Center, and the Southwest Collection, are described on subsequent pages of this catalog. The library is one of the finest in the Southwest, with strong collections in the humanities and in the biological and physical sciences.

John T. Montford became Texas Tech's first Chancellor in 1996. Presidents of Texas Tech have been Paul Whitfield Horn (1925-1932), Bradford Knapp (1932-1938), Clifford Bartlett Jones (1938-1944), William Marvin Whyburn (1944-1948), Dossie Marion Wiggins (1948-1952), Edward Newlon Jones (1952-1959), Robert Cabaniss Goodwin (1960-1966), Grover Elmer Murray (1966-1976), Maurice Cecil Mackey, Jr., (1976-1979), Lauro Fred Cavazos (1980-1988), and Robert W. Lawless (1989-1996). Donald R. Haragan became president on September 1, 1996.

Financial Support

The university receives the major share of its operating funds from appropriations by the Legislature and student fees. For the construction and renovation of academic and general buildings, funds are made available from the Higher Education Assistance Fund (HEAF), institutional tuition, and federal matching funds. State-appropriated funds are not used to support the residence halls, intercollegiate athletics, bookstore, student publications, health service, or University Center.

The Texas Tech Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that receives and distributes gifts to the university. Gifts and grants received through the foundation supplement state funds in supporting research, establishing scholarships and fellowships, and helping to provide physical facilities and educational materials.

Organization

Texas Tech University is governed by a nine-member Board of Regents who also govern the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which is a separate institution by legislative mandate. The Regents are appointed to six-year terms by the Governor of the State of Texas. The terms of office of three Regents expire every two years. The government, control, and direction of the university are vested in the Regents who in turn appoint a Chancellor to carry out the policies of the two institutions as determined by the Regents. The Chancellor is assisted by two Deputy Chancellors who, with the support of a Chief Financial Officer; a Vice Chancellor for Cultural Diversity; a Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Construction; a Vice Chancellor and General Counsel; a Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations; a Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement; and a Vice Chancellor for Special Projects, oversee operation of the Chancellor's Office, departments reporting to that office, and policy matters pertinent to both Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The Chancellor appoints a President of Texas Tech University and a President of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The presidents are administrators of their respective universities and are responsible for the strategic operation of those institutions. The President of Texas Tech University is supported by a Provost who oversees the educational programs of the university; a Vice President for Fiscal Affairs who is responsible for the fiscal operations of the university; a Vice President for Student Affairs who is concerned with the general welfare of the students of the university; a Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, and Technology Transfer who directs the research efforts and graduate education of the university; a Vice President for Enrollment Management who is in charge of recruiting students and overseeing financial aid; and a Vice President for Operations who manages the physical plant of the university.

Texas Tech University consists of the following colleges and schools: the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the College of Architecture, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the Honors College, the College of Human Sciences, the School of Law, and the Graduate School. Each college is administered by a dean and his or her staff, and each consists of a number of instructional departments or areas.


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LAST UPDATE: 6-1-00


Jan 21, 2020