In the course of preparing several recruitment and retention grants on behalf of the College of Arts & Sciences, we dove into institutional and census data to provide a better snapshot of what makes Texas Tech University unique in the higher education landscape. We decided to share the resultant materials because any TTU faculty member interested in service-oriented projects could benefit from a deeper understanding of our students and our surrounding area. 

One view is provided in the first report: among 115 Carnegie R1 universities, an argument can be made that TTU sits in the most rural region, and also the one with the lowest rates of educational attainment in its surrounding communities. The second report is a preliminary examination of the other aspect that instantly sets TTU apart. Only a handful of universities in the nation are both Carnegie R1 and Hispanic Serving Institutions. In preparing grant proposals related to our student body and our surrounding regions, try to remember just how unique this constellation of factors truly is in the landscape of four-year research institutions.

1. The Role of Place: A Report on the Demographic Setting of Texas Tech University

2. The Role of Demographics: Preliminary Data on the Student Population of Texas Tech University

A few other resources and notable facts:

The majority of the 24 counties of the South Plains region lost population between 2010 and 2017. This is generally consistent with long-term trends in rural America, particularly the Great Plains. What is the role of TTU in preparing young people from these regions for high-skill jobs, and are the costs of higher education driving graduates to leave?