University of Texas at Arlington
| The University of Texas at Arlington | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Motto | Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis (Latin for "Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy") |
| Established | 1895 |
| Type | State university |
| Endowment | USD $61,000,000 |
| President | James D. Spaniolo |
| Academic staff | 1,350[1] |
| Undergraduates | 21,370[2] |
| Postgraduates | 6,715[2] |
| Location | Arlington, Texas, US |
| Campus | suburban, 400 acres (1.6 km2) on main campus |
| Colors |
Blue and White primarily [3] |
| Nickname | Maverick |
| Mascot | Blaze[5] |
| Website | www.uta.edu |
The University of Texas at Arlington (also referred to as UT Arlington or UTA) is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated around an area to the southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located roughly in the middle of Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and was primarily a military academy during the early 1900s. After spending several decades in the Texas A&M University System, the university joined the The University of Texas System in 1965. In the fall of 2009, UT Arlington reached a student population of over 28,000 and is currently the third largest institution of the UT System.[1] It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a high research activity institution.[6] The university offers 80 baccalaureate, 74 masters, and 31 doctoral degrees.[2]
The university operates the Fort Worth Education Center and the Automated Robotics & Research Institute, with campuses at Santa Fe Station (downtown Fort Worth) and River Bend Park (east Fort Worth).
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History
Established in 1895 as Arlington College, it was renamed Carlisle Military Academy (1902), Arlington Training School (1913), and Arlington Military Academy (1916). In March 1917, the school was renamed Grubbs Vocational College and became a state-supported institution for the first time as the northern campus of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University). While part of the A&M system, the school was renamed North Texas Agricultural College (1923) and then Arlington State College (1949). The college achieved four-year status in 1959.[7] A 1963 reorganization of the Texas A&M University System focused on the College Station campus, even though the enrollment at Arlington State College exceeded enrollment at the College Station campus at the time. The decision by the Texas A&M University governing board to focus on the College Station campus led officials of Arlington State College and a number of Arlington citizens to enlist the support of Governor John Connally and key members of the Texas Legislature to separate Arlington State College from the Texas A&M University System and to join The University of Texas System. On April 23, 1965, Arlington State College officially became a part of The University of Texas System. Its name changed in 1967 to The University of Texas at Arlington.[8]
From 1972 until 1991, enrollment grew from 14,028 students to approximately 25,125. Enrollment in the fall of 1998 was 18,662 students. During that same twenty year period, 20 bachelor's degree programs, 23 master's degree programs, and 17 doctoral degree programs were approved.[9] As of the fall of 2009, the enrollment was 28,084 students.
The UT Arlington main campus also sits above the Barnett Shale formation. Natural gas drilling on the campus began in 2008. UT-Arlington is projected to earn about $25–75 million over the next 10 years from gas production. These funds will be used for scholarships, faculty recruitment, and infrastructure upgrades of the campus.[10]
Campus
The university encompasses approximately 420 acres and 100 buildings.[2] In the past few years, several construction and renovation projects have been initiated. New buildings currently under construction include a $150 million engineering research complex, a $78 million special events center, and a $80 million college park. The special events center and adjacent college park area will be located on the eastern edge of the campus and will serve as a link to downtown Arlington by alleviating parking issues with 1,800 spaces available by August 2012.[11]
 Nedderman Hall |
 Engineering research buildings |
 Chemistry & Physics building with planetarium |
 Arlington Hall |
Academic profile
The university contains 11 colleges and schools, each listed with its founding date:[12]
- School of Architecture
- College of Business
- College of Education and Health Professions
- College of Engineering (1959)[13]
- Graduate School (1965)[13]
- Honors College
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Nursing (1972, as The University of Texas Nursing School in Tarrant County; merged with UT Arlington 1976 as School of Social Work)[14][15]
- College of Science
- School of Social Work
- School of Urban and Public Affairs (1967)
UT Arlington’s College of Engineering offers eight baccalaureate programs, 12 master’s and 9 doctorates. It is the fourth largest engineering college in Texas, with about 3,700 students. The staff includes approximately 150 full time and 20 part time faculty members, over twenty of whom are Fellows in professional societies.[16]
UT Arlington's College of Nursing has grown and developed into a nationally recognized program and one of the largest in the United States with more than 100 faculty and 1,000 nursing students. The school’s 9,000 alumni attended UTASON as their first choice to prepare them for their nursing careers as professionals with baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees.[14]
UT Arlington's business program consistently ranks among the state's top programs in accounting graduates passing the certified public accountant exam; the most recent survey (for the Spring 2004 exam) showed UT Arlington as the top state program in terms of successful candidates. [6]
Unique liberal arts programs include Southwestern Studies and Mexican-American studies.
UT Arlington's library system has five locations: the Central Library, Science and Engineering Library, Architecture and Fine Arts Library, and two electronic libraries at the College of Business Administration and the School of Social Work.
Special Collections of the university library include historical collections on Texas, Mexico, the Mexican-American War, and the greater southwest. An extensive cartography collection holds maps and atlases of the western hemisphere covering 5 centuries. Also included is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram photo archives, a collection representing over 100 years of North and West Texas history. All together, Special Collections holds more than 30,000 volumes, 7,000 linear ft. of manuscripts and archival collections, 5,000 historical maps, 3.6 million prints and negatives, and thousands of items in other formats. [7]
UT Arlington has the only accredited school of architecture in the North Texas region.[17]
UT Arlington is home of a university-based nanotechnology research facility, NanoFab Research and Teaching Facility.
For FY 2008, the university's research expenditures totaled $66.6 million.
Student life
Student profile
As of the fall 2009 semester, UT Arlington has a student population of 28,085. UT Arlington is currently the third largest institution of the UT System.[1] Females account for about 51% of the total population. The top three countries of origin for international students are India, China, and Taiwan.[18]
| UTA | Texas | U.S. Census | |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American | 14.5% | 11.6% | 12.1% |
| Asian American | 10.2% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Caucasian | 46.5% | 71.5% | 65.8% |
| Hispanic American | 16.5% | 35.5% | 14.5% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| International student | 10.0% | N/A | N/A |
| Not reported | 1.8% | N/A | N/A |
Residential life
The campus contains five residence halls, which have a combined capacity of 1,680 students.[20] The university also has 17 on-campus apartment complexes and a limited number of houses for students with dependent children.
Traditions
- Bed Races: Since 1980, hundreds of students have gathered to watch teams consisting of four pushers and a rider race against each other in a race just over the length of a football field. Teams consist of student organizations, Greek organizations, and residence halls from around UT Arlington.[21]
- International Week: "I-Week" is hosted by the International Student Organization, and branches out throughout the UT Arlington community in its entirety, celebrating diversity between cultures on campus. I-week typically includes a Food Fair, Fashion Show, Global Extravaganza, Exhibits, and more.[22]
- UT Arlington Marching Band: Known as "The Ambassadors of the University," the UT Arlington Marching Band is one of the few college marching bands in the nation to exist without a football team. For almost 25 years, the UT Arlington Marching Band has pioneered a new path in musical and visual excellence, striving to provide audiences with state-of-the-art presentations. The band performs annually for crowds numbering 100,000 and is featured in exhibition performances at state and local contests, such as Bands of America and Regional UIL, as well as festivals and high school and professional football games. In 2001, the band performed in exhibition at the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championship, held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 175 student musicians in the band represent almost all academic disciplines and majors within the University.[23]
- Rubbing Hereford's Head: Dr. E.H. Hereford was UT Arlington's president from 1946-58. His sculpted likeness still watches over students from its perch in the University Center. Superstition holds that rubbing Dr. Hereford's head gives good luck on exams. This tradition is now carried out online to bring good luck.[24]
- Ooozeball: Oozeball is a tradition hosted by the Student Alumni Association[25] and Campus Recreation[26] to raise money for the Student Alumni Association Sophomore Scholarship. Once the amount for the scholarship is reached, all excess funds are donated to charity. In Oozeball, students play volleyball in artificial mud pits. Since its creation in 1989 in the Greek Life community, Oozeball has become one of the most popular student traditions.[27]
- Soaping the fountain: Occasionally mischievous students will pollute the main UT Arlington fountain at the east end of the flying bridge over Cooper street with soap, causing it to be filled with suds and requiring it to be drained and cleaned. Less often other fountains on campus are subject to the same soap abuse.
- MavsMeet Convocation: MavsMeet, the New Student Convocation, is a formal assembly commemorating the beginning of the academic year. Students, faculty and staff are welcomed by the University president, provost, student congress president, and a distinguished UT Arlington faculty speaker. This major academic event honors all undergraduate and graduate students, but particularly new UT Arlington students. Immediately following the New Student Convocation, the MavsMeet AfterParty kicks off the year with live music acts, free food, games and activities.[28]
- Homecoming: Paired with basketball season in the Spring, UT Arlington Homecoming features activities as diverse as the campus. Activities include several alumni events, The Bash, Boom at Noon firing of the Carlisle Cannons, the Golf Cart Parade, Step Show and homecoming game match-up.[29]
- Maverick Celebration: Formally known as Graduation Celebration, Maverick Celebration is a formal assembly commemorating the conclusion of the academic year. This major academic event honors all undergraduate and graduate students, but particularly candidates for graduation.[30]
Athletics
UT Arlington's athletic teams are known as the Mavericks (the selection was made in 1971 and predated the Dallas Mavericks choice in 1980). UT Arlington fields teams or competitors in 14 NCAA Division I events, including baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, track and volleyball. UT Arlington is a charter member of the Southland Conference and one of two charter members still in the conference.[31]
The University routinely wins conference championships and sends teams to NCAA tournaments. Volleyball achieved the greatest team success of all sports in the history of the university by advancing to the 1989 NCAA Volleyball Final Four. The women's basketball team played in the 2005 and 2007 NCAA tournaments; the men's basketball team made its first appearance in the 2008 NCAA tournament, losing in the first round against #1 seed Memphis, who was later forced to vacate this and all other wins from the 2007-2008 season.
UT Arlington has won the Southland Conference's Commissioners Cup more times than any other conference team - three times since the award was first instituted in 1998. The Commissioners Cup is awarded to the athletics program with the highest all-around performance in all conference events, including all men's and women's events.
UT Arlington's basketball and volleyball teams play at Texas Hall, which may be one of collegiate athletics' most distinctive facilities. Texas Hall is a 4,200 seat theater, and the teams play on the theater stage. Fans can sit either in the theater seats or in bleachers on the stage. In 2005, the University administration proposed a new Special Events Center, including a state of the art arena better designed for basketball and volleyball as well as other university activities.[32] This proposal has been approved, and ground was broken on the Special Events Center on March 5, 2010. The Center is expected to be complete in December 2011 and seat approximately 6,500 people.[33]
UT Arlington fielded a football program, playing out of Maverick Stadium, until 1985 when it disbanded football after the season. The school administration blamed its decision on major losses, nearly $1 million a year, as well as low average attendance (5,600, the student body at the time was 23,100). By the end, the program was funded by the university's auxiliary enterprise income while the other 14 sports were under-funded, as football accounted for half the total athletic budget.[34] In April 2004, UT Arlington students voted by a 2-to-1 margin to increase their student athletic fees by $2 per semester-credit hour should the university reinstate football and begin women's golf and women's soccer teams; however, after review, President James D. Spaniolo dismissed the idea as too costly in terms of time and resources.[35]
Notable people
University leaders
Presidents, Deans, and other heads of U.T. Arlington and its predecessor institutions:
- Lee Morgan Hammond & William H. Trimble, Co-principals, Arlington College, 1895–1902[36]
- James McCoy Carlisle, Chief Administrator, Carlisle Military Academy, 1902–1913[36]
- Henry Kirby Taylor, Chief Administrator, Arlington Training School, 1913–1916
- John B. Dodson, Chief Administrator, Arlington Military Academy, 1916–1917
- Myron L. Williams, Chief Administrator, Grubbs Vocational College, 1917–1923
- Edward Everett Davis, Chief Administrator, North Texas Agricultural College, 1923–1946
- Ernest H. Hereford, Ph.D., Chief Administrator, North Texas Agricultural College, 1946–1949
- Ernest H. Hereford, Ph.D., President, Arlington State College 1949–1958
- Jack R. Woolf, Ph.D., President, ASC and UTA, 1959–1968[36]
- Frank Harrison, Ph.D., President, UT Arlington, 1968–1972
- Wendell Nedderman, Ph.D., President, UT Arlington, 1972–1992[36]
- Ryan Amacher, Ph.D., President, UT Arlington, 1992–1995
- Robert E. Witt, Ph.D., President, UT Arlington, 1995–2003
- Charles A. Sorber, Ph.D., Interim President, UT Arlington, 2003–2004
- James D. Spaniolo, M.P.A., J.D., President, UT Arlington, 2004–present
See also
- List of largest Texas universities by enrollment
- Texas Hall, UT Arlington's on-campus special events center
- The Shorthorn, UT Arlington's daily student-run paper
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "UT System Fast Facts 2010". http://www.utsystem.edu/news/files/FastFacts2010.pdf. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "UTA Fast Facts". http://www.uta.edu/uta/fast-facts.php. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ UTA Chat Wednesday, February 15, 2006 transcript on Branding Accessed 08 February 2010.
- ↑ Color: UT Arlington identity system Accessed 18 April 2010.
- ↑ The Shorthorn - Mascot named Blaze
- ↑ "Carnegie Foundation website". http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/lookup_listings/view_institution.php?unit_id=228769&start_page=institution.php&clq={%22first_letter%22%3A%22U%22}. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ History of the University Accessed 6 March 2007.
- ↑ History of The University and Summary of Campus Planning Accessed 16 April 2007.
- ↑ [ibid.] Accessed 16 April 2007.
- ↑ [1] UT Arlington Receives First Natural Gas Royalty Check] 2009-01-23, retrieved 2009-01-30
- ↑ "UTA College Park". http://www.theshorthorn.com/content/view/19837/265/. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ Colleges, Schools, and Departments The University of Texas at Arlington. Accessed 6 February 2010.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 University History - University Office of Finance and Administration The University of Texas at Arlington. Accessed 15 September 2006
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 [2] A background of the School of Nursing at UT Arlington Accessed 3 May 2007.
- ↑ [3] The School of Nursing officially became the College of Nursing on Jan. 22, 2010
- ↑ [4] About UsAccessed 3 May 2007.
- ↑ [5] National Architectural Accrediting Board: Architecture Programs Accessed 13 June 2007.
- ↑ "UTA Diversity 2008". http://www.uta.edu/diversity/diversity.pdf. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ See Demographics of Texas and Demographics of the United States for references.
- ↑ "Residence Hall General Information". http://www.uta.edu/campus-ops/housing/residence-halls/info.php. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ↑ UT Arlington Bed Races, 2005
- ↑ UT Arlington International Week
- ↑ UT Arlington Marching Band
- ↑ Rubbing Hereford's Head
- ↑ Student Alumni Association
- ↑ Campus Recreation
- ↑ Oozeball
- ↑ MavsMeet
- ↑ Homecoming
- ↑ Maverick Celebration
- ↑ Southland Conference History
- ↑ The Shorthorn: Fee awaits final approval
- ↑ UT-Arlington Breaks Ground for New Special Events Center
- ↑ Executive Summary of the Neinas Report, UT Arlington Sports Expansion Study, 2004, Accessed May 13, 2008.
- ↑ James D. Spaniolo, Sports Expansion Announcement, UT Arlington Sports Expansion Study, January 20, 2005, Accessed May 13, 2008.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 What’s in a name? Building namesakes include former presidents, deans, coaches and an astronaut, UT-Arlington Magazine, Sprint/Summer 2008, retrieved 2008-11-07
- Mavericks Branded by I’sha Gaines, The Shorthorn, February 15, 2006, retrieved February 16, 2006.
- Mavericks Branded by Tracie Morales, The Shorthorn, February 15, 2006, retrieved February 16, 2006.
- Q&A with University President James Spaniolo on What is a Maverick Launch Event.
- UT Arlington unveils new logo by Patrick McGee, Star-Telegram, February 15, 2006, retrieved February 16, 2006.
External links
- The University of Texas at Arlington
- University Overview
- University History
- Tejano Voices Project — 77 interviews of racial discrimination
- The University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks
- The Shorthorn - Campus newspaper
- Honors College
- UTAMavericks - Fan Site
- Maverick Scholars Learning Communities
- UTA Ambassador program
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Public universities in Texas