TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

'Texas Tech University' is a public, coeducational research university located in Lubbock, Texas. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the fifth largest student body in the state of Texas. The campus is the only one in Texas and one of few in the world to house a university, law school, and medical school at the same location. The university receives its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are members of the Big 12 Conference and compete in Division I for all varsity sports. The Red Raiders football team has made 30 bowl appearances, which is 19th most of any university. The men's basketball team has made 14 appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Bob Knight, the winningest coach in men's NCAA D-1 basketball history, has served as the team's head coach since 2001. The Lady Raiders women's basketball team won the 1993 women's national championship.

Contents

History

Organization

Campus

Research facilities

Sports facilities

Athletics

Mascots

Student life

Notable people

Traditions

Carol of Lights

Texas Tech ring

Will Rogers and Soapsuds

Victory bells

Alma Mater

Fight Song

Notable organizations

References and notes

External links

History

The call to open a college in West Texas began shortly after the arrival of settlers in the area. In 1917, the Texas legislature passed a bill creating a branch of Texas A&M to be located in Abilene. However, the bill was repealed during the next session after it was discovered that Governor James E. Ferguson had provided inaccurate information concerning the site committee's choice of location. In 1923, the legislature decide that, rather than a branch, an entirely new university system should be created to serve the needs of the region.^[5]
On February 10, 1923, Governor Pat Neff signed the legislation creating Texas Technological College and a committee began searching for a site. Because Abilene was already home to three private colleges, it was not considered a desirable location.^[6] When the selection committee visited Lubbock, people lined the streets to show support for the idea of hosting the institution. In August, Lubbock was chosen on the first ballot and construction began soon thereafter. With an enrollment of 914, Texas Technological College opened for classes on September 30, 1925. It was originally composed of four schools—Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics, and Liberal Arts.^5[7]
By the 1960s, the school had expanded its offerings to more than just technical subjects. The Faculty Advisory Committee suggested changing the name to "Texas State University", feeling the phrase "Technological College" was insufficient to define the scope of the institution. While most students supported this change, the Board of Directors and many alumni, wanting to preserve the Double-T logo, opposed it. Other names—University of the Southwest, Texas Technological College and State University, and The Texas University of Art, Science and Technology—were considered but the Board of Directors chose Texas Tech University, submitting it to the state legislature in 1964. A failed move by Governor John Connally to have the school placed into the Texas A&M University System kept the name change from being approved. In spite of objections by many students and faculty, the Board of Directors again submitted the change in 1969 and it finally received the legislature's approval. All of the institutions schools, except Law, became colleges.^5[8]
Texas Tech continued to grow. During the 1960s and 1970s, $150 million was invested in the campus to construct buildings for the library, foreign languages, social sciences, communications, philosophy, electrical and petroleum engineering, art, and architecture. Some other buildings were significantly expanded.^[9]
The university reached another milestone in 1979 when the Texas Legislature expanded the medical school charter, creating the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. TTUHSC, now part of the Texas Tech University System, includes schools of nursing, allied health, pharmacy, and a graduate school of biomedical sciences. It has locations in three Texas cities in addition to the main campus in Lubbock.
In 1996, Texas Tech took another important step toward enlarging its vision and reach. The Board of Regents established the Texas Tech University System, and appointed a chancellor to provide leadership and support for the combined academic enterprise. Regents Chair Ed Whitacre cited the size and complexity of the institution in making the change. "It's time", he said, "to take the university into the 21st century..."

The intervening decade saw a great deal of growth. Since fiscal year 2000, Texas Tech has invested over $548 million in new construction and has received over $65.9 million in private donations.^[9] Although Tech is not currently a flagship university of the State of Texas (a distinction that belongs only to Texas A&M University and the University of Texas), Texas State Senator Kirk Watson is conducting a study to explore the possibility of expanding the number of Texas state flagships. Texas Tech is a leading candidate for inclusion in such an expansion.^[11]
The American author, James Michener, described Texas Tech's campus as the "most beautiful west of the Mississippi until you get to Stanford."^[12]
In 2005, student enrollment figures indicated that approximately 93% of incoming students originated in Texas, with the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area being most represented with 32%, followed by the Texas High Plains region with 15%, and the Houston/Gulf Coast area with 14%.^[3] Preliminary estimates put the 2007 enrollment at 28,500. The growth is on track with a plan to have 40,000 students by the year 2020.^[14]

Organization

Texas Tech University offers 150 bachelor's, 104 master's, and 59 doctoral degree programs, and receives its general accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.^[15] Texas Tech has five satellite campuses located in Texas, in Abilene, Amarillo, Fredericksburg, Highland Lakes, and Junction, and two in Europe, located in Quedlinburg, Germany and Seville, Spain. Additional study-abroad programs are offered in The Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Mexico, and Norway.^[16]
Texas Tech's main campus is divided into 10 colleges and schools:

★ College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources

★ College of Architecture

★ College of Arts & Sciences

★ Rawls College of Business

★ College of Education

★ College of Engineering

★ College of Human Sciences

★ School of Law

★ College of Mass Communications

★ College of Visual & Performing Arts
The 1,839-acre Lubbock campus is home to the main academic university, law school, and medical school (Health Sciences Center). This arrangement makes it the only institution in Texas, and one of the few worldwide, to have all three units (university, law school, and medical school) on the same campus.^[17]

Campus

Research facilities

Texas Tech maintains a number of libraries, both general-purpose and specific (such as the Architecture and Law libraries). The most notable of these are the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library and the Vietnam Archive, one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections of information on the Vietnam War.^[18] On August 17, 2007, the Texas Tech Vietnam Center became the first U.S. institution to sign a formalized exchange agreement with the State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam. This opens the door for a two-way exchange between the entities.^[19]
The Museum of Texas Tech University, founded in 1929, is home to over three million objects and specimens. The museum houses art galleries, a sculpture court, a planetarium, and a natural science research laboratory.^[20]
Following a tornado that caused 26 fatalities and over $100 million in damage in 1970, the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center was established. The WISE Center is focused on research, education, and information outreach. The comprehensive and interdisciplinary research program aspires to exploit the useful qualities of wind and to mitigate its detrimental effects. The Center offers education in wind-science and engineering to develop professionals who are experts in creating designs which deal effectively with problems caused by high winds.

Located on the northern edge of the campus is the National Ranching Heritage Center, a museum of ranching history. It features a number of authentic early Texas ranch buildings as well as windmills, a railroad depot, and other historic buildings.
The university also maintains the Lubbock Lake Landmark, an important archaeological site and natural history preserve in the city of Lubbock. The site has evidence of nearly 12,000 years of use by ancient cultures on the Llano Estacado (Southern High Plains), and allows visitors to watch active archaeological digs. The site offers the opportunity for visiting scientists and tourists to participate in the discovery process. Lubbock Lake Landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a designated National Historic and State Archaeological Landmark.

The Office of International Affairs supports and facilitates the international mission of Texas Tech University. It provides services for faculty and students, offers international educational and cultural experiences for the school and community, and is a major contributor to the university's globalization process and its growing reputation as a major international educational and research center. The International Cultural Center is a significant service center and is Texas Tech University's signature statement of its commitment to international education. It provides a continual series of conferences, lectures, art exhibitions, and performances.
^[21]

Sports facilities

Jones AT&T Stadium serves as home to the Red Raiders football team. The stadium, named for Clifford B. and Audrey Jones, opened in 1947. The original seating capacity was 27,000, but it was expanded in 1959, 1972, and again in 2003 to the current capacity of 53,000. In March 2007, a $40 million upgrade was announced. It will add 10,000 new seats and a five-story building for club, retail, and suite space. Another expansion of 20,000 seats will take place over the next 20 years.^[22]
The United Spirit Arena is a 15,020-seat multi-purpose arena that opened in 1999. It is home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders basketball teams and volleyball team. United Supermarkets, a Lubbock based supermarket chain with numerous stores in west Texas, made a major contribution to the facility's construction and was granted naming rights.

Athletics

Main articles: Texas Tech Red Raiders


Texas Tech's athletic teams are all known as the Red Raiders with the exception of the women's basketball team, the Lady Raiders. Texas Tech is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in Division I-A. The university was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1932 to 1956. Texas Tech became a member of the Southwest Athletic Conference in May 1956 and remained so until the conference was disbanded in 1995.
Of the varsity sports, Texas Tech has had its greatest success in women's basketball. The Lady Raiders, led by player Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp, won the 1993 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. The men's basketball team has made 14 appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Tournament. Coach Bob Knight has served as men's basketball coach since 2001. On January 1, 2007, he become the winningest coach in men's NCAA Division I basketball history, when Tech defeated New Mexico, 70-68. The Red Raiders football team has made 30 bowl appearances, which is 19th most of any university.
In addition to varsity sports, the university offers polo, rugby, lacrosse, fencing, soccer, and ice hockey through campus intramural sports organizations. In 2006, the Red Raiders beat the Texas A&M Aggies to win the United States Polo Association National Intercollegiate Championship.^[23]

Mascots

The Masked Rider is the Texas Tech's oldest mascot. Starting as a dare in 1936, "ghost riders" circled the field at the beginning of home football games. The Masked Rider became an official mascot in 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton led the team onto the field at the Gator Bowl. The sensational entrance awed the crowd. Texas Tech's Center for Campus Life explains:

According to reports from those present at the 1954 Gator Bowl, the crowd sat in stunned silence as they watched Fulton and Blackie rush onto the football field, followed by the team. After a few moments of stunned disbelief, the silent crowd burst into cheers. Ed Danforth, a writer for the Atlanta Journal and a press box spectator later wrote, "No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance."^[24]

Today the Masked Rider, with guns up, leads the team out onto the field for all of the home games. This mascot, adorned in a distinctive gaucho hat like the ones worn by members of the marching band, is one of the most visible figures at Tech. Kevin Burns, a junior Animal and Food Science major from Clovis, New Mexico, will represent Texas Tech as the Masked Rider during 2007-2008.^[25]
Tech's other mascot, Raider Red, is a more recent creation. During the 1971 football season, the Southwest Conference created a rule that forbade the bringing of live animal mascots to away games unless the host school permitted it. Since the Masked Rider's horse would fall under this rule, an alternate mascot was created. Jim Gaspard, a member of the Saddle Tramps student spirit organization, created the original design for the Raider Red costume, basing it on a character created by Lubbock cartoonist and former mayor Dirk West. Though the Masked Rider's identity is public knowledge, it has always been tradition that Raider Red's student alter ego is kept secret until the end of his or her tenure. The student serving as Raider Red is a member of the Saddle Tramps or High Riders.

Student life

There are over 390 student clubs and organizations at Texas Tech.^[26] The groups include service, academic, professional, and religious. Greek Life plays a very prominent role in the university's social scene.^[27] The Student Union Building, located centrally on campus, is the hub of day to day student activity. Within the Union, students find opportunities to relax, study, and enjoy a meal. The Student Union Building also houses the Student Government Association (SGA), and provides space for many of the student organizations to operate.
Housed with a partition directly adjacent to the Student Union Building is the School of Music, home of the Texas Tech Goin' Band from Raiderland. The 450-member band, which was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 1999, performs at all home football games and at various other events.

The university maintains KTXT-FM 88.1, a student radio station focusing on alternative, indie rock, industrial, and hip hop music. National Public Radio station KOHM 89.1, which features classical music and news, is also found on campus. Additionally, the university owns and operates Public Broadcasting Service television station KTXT-TV. ''The Daily Toreador'' is Texas Tech's student-run newspaper. It was named ''The University Daily'' until 2005. A satirical newspaper, ''The Perversity Weekly'', is independently published by students. ''La Ventana'' is Texas Tech's yearbook.

Notable people

Main articles: List of Texas Tech University people

Throughout Texas Tech's history, faculty, alumni, and former students have made an impact in such areas as art, science, education, athletics, and politics. Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado each had a governor who was a graduate of the university. Four astronauts, including Rick Husband, the final commander of space shuttle Columbia, and Bernard A. Harris, Jr., the first African-American to walk in space, are Texas Tech alumni. The school's influence on the business world is seen in such people as former AT&T Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre, Jr. and Finisar's Jerry S. Rawls. Two members of the band Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers are alumni as are country music singer Pat Green and folk rocker John Denver. In the sports world, Texas Tech Red Raiders have gone on to play in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, and more.

Traditions

Carol of Lights

To celebrate the Christmas season, Texas Tech holds the annual Carol of Lights. The event commences with the Texas Tech University Combined Choirs performing selections of classic holiday songs at the Science Quadrangle. When fully lit, over 25,000 red, white, and orange lights illuminate the 13 buildings surrounding Memorial Circle.
The tradition started in 1959 when Harold Hinn provided the funds and the idea of covering the science quadrangle and the administration building with lights. Unfortunately, students were away on Christmas break and did not see the display. The next year, the Residence Hall Association sponsored the Christmas Sing, incorporating Harold Hinn's original idea. The Carol of Lights, as it is now called, is one of Texas Tech's most well-known traditions.^[28]

Texas Tech ring

While a universal ring design had been used in the past, over the years many different styles came to be worn by alumni. To revive the tradition of all rings using a single design, in 1999, the Official Texas Tech Alumni Association Class Ring was introduced as the standard for the university's graduates. The ring symbolically captures the essence of Texas Tech with the prominent Double T logo surrounded by the school’s full name and date of foundation.
On one shoulder of the ring is an image of the Administration Building, with the bells which represent victory. On the other shoulder is the university seal, which features the American eagle perched above a book, representing the church; a star, representing the State of Texas; a key, representing home; and, a lamp, representing knowledge. These elements are separated by a cross featuring ten cotton bolls for Lubbock and its surrounding nine cotton-producing counties.^[29]
Tradition holds that an undergraduate who acquires the ring during his/her senior year must wear the ring with the Double T logo facing inward. Upon graduation, the ring is turned so the logo faces outward.

Will Rogers and Soapsuds

One of the best-known landmarks on campus is the statue of Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds. This memorial was dedicated on February 16, 1950 by a longtime friend of Rogers, Amon G. Carter. Carter believed Texas Tech was the perfect setting for the statue and that it would fit into the traditions and scenery of West Texas.
The statue stands at 9 feet 11 inches (3 m) tall and weighs 3,200 pounds (1,450 kg); it cost an estimated US$25,000. On the base of the statue, the inscription reads, "Lovable Old Will Rogers on his favorite horse, 'Soapsuds', riding into the Western sunset."
Today, Texas Tech tradition and legend surrounds the statue. According to one legend, the initial plan to face Will Rogers due west so that he would be seen riding off into the sunset. This plan was rejected as it would cause Soapsuds' posterior to face due east toward downtown Lubbock, which was perceived as an insult to the Lubbock business community which had been highly supportive of the school. It would also have placed the horse's rear facing the main entrance to the university. To solve this problem, the statue was turned 23 degrees to the northwest so Soapsuds' rear would face southeast in the general direction of College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University. Before every home football game, the Saddle Tramps wrap the statue with red crepe paper. Will Rogers and Soapsuds have also been wrapped in black crepe paper to mourn national tragedies.^[30]

Victory bells

In 1936, victory bells were given to Texas Tech as a class gift. The bells rang for the first time at the graduation of the Class of 1936. It is said that, after the 1937 win over TCU, the bells rang throughout the night, preventing some Lubbock residents from sleeping. Thereafter, the bell ringing was limited to 30 minutes. After Texas Tech victories and on special occasions the bells are rang by the Saddle Tramps or High Riders. The Victory Bells—one large and one small with a combined weight of 1,200 pounds—hang in the east tower of the Administration Building.^[31]

Alma Mater

"The Matador Song" dates from 1931. The lyrics were written by Tech student R.C. Marshall and the music was composed by Tech Band Director Harry LeMaire. The words and melody have remained unchanged through time. When performed by the Texas Tech Marching Band outdoors the song is preceded by a preparatory fanfare, a musical signal for students and alumni to stand and sing the Alma Mater.

Fight Song

In 1936, Tech Band members Carroll McMath and James Nevins co-wrote Fight, Raiders, Fight as it exists today. The previous fight song referred to the Matadors (renamed the Red Raiders by sports journalists in the mid-1930s).

Notable organizations

★ Alpha Phi Omega Chapter (Co-ed Service Fraternity)

★ Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter (International Business Honor Society)

★ Goin' Band from Raiderland (marching band)

★ High Riders (spirit organization)

★ Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

★ Phi Alpha Delta (Professional Law Fraternity)

★ Phi Beta Kappa Chapter (Liberal Arts & Sciences Honor Society)

★ Residence Halls Association

★ Sabre Flight Drill Team

★ Saddle Tramps (spirit organization)

★ Student Bar Association

★ Tau Beta Pi Chapter (Engineering Honor Society)

★ Tau Beta Sigma Chapter (National Honorary Band Sorority)

★ Texas Tech Alumni Association

★ Texas Tech Forensic Union (Debate Team)

★ Texas Tech Ice Hockey

References and notes

1. " 2006 NACUBO Endowment Study
2. " Faculty Count by Rank:Fall 2006
3. http://www.texastech.edu/downloads/strategicplan/TechStar05.pdf
4. "Total Enrollment - Fall 2006".
5. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/TT/kct32.html
6. http://grad.ba.ttu.edu/GSC_Tech_Lubbock/GSC_Tech_and_Lubbock_History.asp
7. http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/birth.php
8. http://www.swco.ttu.edu/University_Archive/pdf/1990.pdf
9. http://www.texastech.edu/welcome.php#mission
10. http://www.texastech.edu/welcome.php#mission
11. Senator to create study to establish new flagship school in Texas
12. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/communications/news/stories/07-08-pretty-campus-msn.php
13. http://www.texastech.edu/downloads/strategicplan/TechStar05.pdf
14. Tech enrollment shows increase, on track with 2020 goal
15. http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/weblist0106alpha.pdf
16. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/honors/study_abroad.html
17. The University of Texas System has four medical schools, but none are located in Austin, the site of its main campus and only law school. Neither the Texas A&M University System nor University of North Texas System has a law school, and the University of Houston System has no medical school. Baylor University only has a law school in Waco. Baylor College of Medicine, which is in Houston, has not been part of Baylor University since 1969. Baylor also operates the Baylor University Medical Center, which is a hospital system.
18. http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=2367
19. Tech signs agreement with Vietnam for records
20. About the Museum
21. http://www.iaff.ttu.edu/main/history.asp
22. Tech talk turns to upgrades for sports facilities
23. http://www.texastech.edu/vistas/06may/battle-speed.php
24. A history of one of Texas Tech's Oldest and Best-Loved Traditions
25. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/centerforcampuslife/MaskedRider/current.aspx
26. Student Organizations
27. Student Organizations
28. http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/carol.php
29. http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/ring.php
30. http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/rogers.php
31. http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/bells.php

External links

★ Texas Tech University Official Site

★ Texas Tech Alumni Association

★ Texas Tech Athletics Official Site

★ RaiderPower.com - Texas Tech Athletics News Site

★ Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative at Texas Tech