| Texas State University–San Marcos | |
|---|---|
| Motto | “The noblest search is the search for excellence.” |
| Established | 1899 |
| Type | State university |
| Endowment | $95.1 million[1] |
| President | Denise Trauth, Ph.D. |
| Provost | Eugene Bourgeois, Ph.D.[2] |
| Academic staff | 1,272 |
| Students | 34,113 (Fall 2011)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 27,476 |
| Postgraduates | 4,387 |
| Location | San Marcos, Texas, USA |
| Campus | 457 acres (1.85 km2) |
| Former names | Southwest Texas State Normal School (1903–1918) Southwest Texas State Normal College (1918–1923) Southwest Texas State Teachers College (1923–1959) Southwest Texas State College (1959–1969) Southwest Texas State University (1969–2003) |
| Nickname | Bobcats |
| Colors | Maroon and Old Gold |
| Mascot | Boko the Bobcat |
| Affiliations | APLU SACS TSUS Southland (2011) WAC (2012) |
| Website | www.txstate.edu |
Texas State University–San Marcos (informally Texas State University, or simply Texas State, it discourages the use of TSU[4]) is a doctoral-granting university located in San Marcos, Texas. Established in 1899 as the Southwest Texas State Normal School, it opened its doors in 1903 to 303 students with a focus to educate students to become teachers. Since that time it has grown into the largest institution in the Texas State University System and the sixth-largest university in Texas boasting an enrollment of over 34,000 students. Academically, it is composed of eight colleges and about 50 schools and departments across multiple disciplines, including nationally recognized programs in Geography, Criminal Justice and Music.
Texas State's main campus sits on 457-acre (1.85 km2) of hills along the San Marcos River. It is also has a satellite campus that started as a multi-institution teaching center offering undergraduate and graduate programs at the Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC) in the greater north Austin area.[5] Additionally, the main campus in San Marcos serves as the location of the fictional school TMU (Texas Methodist University) in the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights.[6]
Texas State University is the only university in the state to have a former President of the United States as an alumnus. President Lyndon B. Johnson graduated from what was then Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930 with a teaching certificate and a Bachelor of Science in history. In 1965, he returned to Southwest Texas State College, as the school was known then, to sign the Higher Education Act of 1965.[7]
The Southwest Texas State Normal School was proposed in a March 3, 1899, bill by Texas State Representative Fred Cocke. Cocke represented the citizens of Hays and surrounding counties where the school was to be located. While there was opposition to the bill, with the support of State Senator J.B. Dibrell, it was finally passed and signed into law on May 10, 1899, by Governor Joseph D. Sayers.[8] The school's purpose was to provide manual training and teach domestic sciences and agriculture. Any students earning a diploma and teaching certificate from the school would be authorized to teach in the state's public schools.[9] In October, 1899, the San Marcos City Council voted to donate 11 acres (45,000 m2) of land at what was known as Chautauqua Hill for the school to be built on. It wasn't until 1901 that the Texas legislature accepted this donation and approved $25,000 to be used for construction of buildings on the site.[10] The building now known as Old Main was completed and the school opened its doors to its first enrollment of 303 students in September, 1903.[8]
On November 8, 1965, the school's most famous alumni, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson returned to his alma mater to sign the Higher Education Act of 1965 which was part of the his Great Society. In a speech, held in Strahan Coliseum on the school's campus, prior to signing the bill, he recounted his own difficulties affording to go to college having to shower and shave in the school's gymnasium, living above a faculty member's garage, and working multiple jobs.[11]
In 1996, the school began offering courses in Round Rock, Texas on the campus of Westwood High School. It originally offered night classes that allowed students to earn graduate degrees in Business Administration and Education. As enrollment in these programs increased and with a gift of 101-acre (0.41 km2) the Round Rock Higher Education Center was constructed and opened in 2005.[10]
The school has been through a number of name changes since its opening, the most recent in 2003. The school's Associated Student Government (ASG) approached State Senator Jeff Wentworth requesting that the school be renamed from "Southwest Texas State University" to "Texas State University at San Marcos". The ASG had unanimously approved a resolution supporting the name change citing 20 reasons for the change. The ASG further said that donations from the school's alumni would go to implementing the name change so that state tax dollars would not be required.[12] A bill, sponsored by Senator Wentworth, was passed and on September 1, 2003, the school officially became known at Texas State University-San Marcos.
The Texas State University main campus is located in San Marcos, Texas, midway between Austin and San Antonio along Interstate 35. It spans 457 acres (1.85 km2)[5], including the original land donated by the city of San Marcos consisting of Chautauqua Hill which Old Main still sits atop of. Other parts of the Texas State property including farm and ranch land, residential, recreational areas and commercial incubators cover more than 5,038 acres (20.39 km2) of additional land.[5] On the eastern end of campus is Sewell Park which is on the banks of the spring fed San Marcos River. The river bank, leased by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, was built up from the river bottom by university workers. Initially named Riverside Park, it was later renamed to Sewell Park in 1946 in honor of Dr. S.M. "Froggy" Sewell, a mathematics professor who helped form the park.[13]
The Quad is considered to be the heart of campus as it is surrounded by the majority of the academic buildings on campus as well as the bus loop where most of the University bus routes stop on campus. Since many students pass through the quad is the primary gathering place for student organizations to man booths and tables promoting fundraisers and events.[14] The west end of the Quad has a 17-foot high aluminum scuplture of two horses, called the Fighting Stallions.[15] This area is declared the University's free speech zone and was subject to one of the first court challenges to the creation of such zones after the suspension of ten students protesting the Vietnam War.[16][17] The east end of the Quad goes up to the top of the highest hill on campus which sits the University's oldest building, Old Main.
Built in 1903 and originally called the "Main Building", Old Main was the first building on the Texas State campus. It was designed by E. Northcraft as a red-gabled Victorian Gothic building.[18] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[19] In more than a century of use, and a number of renovations, the building has served many uses from being the university's administration building to an auditorium and chapel to now housing the offices for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication as well as the College of Fine Arts.[20]
The university's library was named, in 1991, for an alumnus, Albert B. Alkek, who became an oilman, rancher, and philanthropist. The Albert B. Alkek Library serves as the main, central academic library supporting the Texas State University community. It is a "select depository" for United States and Texas government documents receiving a large number of government publications from the state and 60% of all federal publications. The library also encompasses niche collections and papers including the Wittliff collections, the largest US repository of contemporary Mexican photography, the King of the Hill archives, major works of Cormac McCarthy and Sam Shepard, and the Lonesome Dove miniseries collection.[21]
The Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC) is a campus of Texas State University-San Marcos that is located in Round Rock, Texas. It originally started as 15 temporary buildings on the Westwood High School campus. It was moved to its current, permanent location in 2005 after the donation of 101 acres (0.41 km2) by the Avery family. While its original purpose was to serve as instructional space for Texas State University, the Austin Community College, and Temple College, today only Texas State holds classes on the campus. The campus' first building, the Avery Building, was opened in 2005 while the Nursing Building opened in 2010.[22]
In addition to 111 undergraduate and 86 masters degrees offerings,[23] the University offers nine doctorate degrees in the areas of Aquatic Resources, Criminal Justice, Education, Geography, and Physical Therapy.[24][25] These programs are under the umbrella of the following nine colleges within the University:[26]
The College of Applied Arts at Texas State University encompasses seven academic areas in which students can choose to study. Jaime Chahin manages the College as Dean.[27] The College's Child Development Center, accredited by the national Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC), carries the San Marcos Early Childhood Collaboration Project, one out of the three model programs for public child care in state of Texas.[28] Since graduating in 1979, George Strait has initiated an endowment to assist the college's Department of Agriculture giving it the largest scholarship endowment of any department at Texas State.[28] The fields of academic work housed within the College of Applied Arts are:
The McCoy College of Business Administration, founded in 1968, is an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business program, headquartered in McCoy Hall located just west of Alkek Library on Texas State's campus.[29] Dr. Denise T. Smart heads McCoy College as Dean. While majority of business students take classes in San Marcos, students have the option of taking a select group of courses at The Round Rock Higher Education Center. To keep curriculum a balance between real world application and general education, McCoy College maintains a College Advisory Board. Members include Executive level employees ranging from Proprietors to Chief Executive Officers.[30]
McCoy Hall finished construction and was dedicated in 2006. Funding for the facility was achieved primarily through a generous $20 million dollar donation from Emmet and Miriam McCoy, thus coining the name for the college. The endowment, now administered by the McCoy College of Business Development Foundation, provides distinguished professorships, scholarships to both undergraduates and graduates, and program development.[31] Later, the McCoy's were awarded honorary doctorates, being the seventh and eighth individuals receiving such awards from Texas State University.[32]
The College contains five departments[33]:
Texas State's College of Education exists to better prepare students entering careers within the Education Field. Dr. E. Stanley Carpenter is the current Dean of the College.[34] Like the McCoy College of Business Administration, students primarily attend classes at Texas State's main campus is San Marcos, though a growing number are taking them at the Round Rock Higher Education Center.[34] President Lyndon B. Johnson is rooted in the College of Education; he enrolled, what was then Southwest Texas State Teachers' College, in 1926 and graduated with a B. Ed in 1931.[35]
The three areas of study held within the College of Education are[36]:
The College of Fine Arts and Communication at Texas State University, led by Dean T. Richard Cheatham,[37] comprises The School of Music, the School of Art and Design, and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. When choosing an undergraduate degree, students have an option of pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or a Bachelor of Music, as well as a Master of Fine arts in: Theatre History, Dramaturgy, Directing, or Playwriting. To this day, Texas State remains the only University in the southwest United States to offer a baccalaureate degree in Sound Recording Technology. The College also claims 17% of the entire University enrollment, and is one of the top Colleges within the University to grant degrees to Hispanics.[38] Some of the College's more notable faculty include Kaitlin Hopkins and Lauren Lane.
The Sound Recording Technology program was founded to the School of Music by the university when Fire Station Studios was purchased 1992.[10]
Within the three schools lie two other departments:
Conducted by Dean Ruth B. Welborn, Texas State University's College of Health Professions equips students with the knowledge needed for today's careers in the health care industry. Additionally, a central goal of the College is to help improve the overall perception of health care.[39] Through its nine departments and six undergraduate degree programs,[40] the College offers technical, clinical, professional and academic programs. Construction of the St. David's School of Nursing started in 2008 after St. David's Community Health Foundation announced a $6 million donation in November 2006.[41] The school is scheduled to open in time for Fall 2010 classes.[42]
Departments within the College include[43]:
The College of Liberal Arts is housed within Flowers Hall and made up of 5,114 students, taught by 28% of the University's faculty, who are pursuing degrees offered in the College's nine departments, eight inner-located programs, and four interdisciplinary centers.[44] The faculty within the College include many who have won prestigious, national awards. Included are eight Fulbright Scholars, eight Piper Professors, and 14 recipients of the National Council for Geographic Education's Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award.[45] While it is not a requirement, the Liberal Arts College encourages and offers several study abroad programs in locations such as Belize, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Switzerland.[45]
The Association of American Geographers and the Journal of Geography consistently rank Texas State's Department of Geography among the best in the nation.[46]
The College also claims a handful of the faculty within the Creative Writing program, of which include:
The College's departments include:[48]
The College of Science is led by Dean Stephen Seidman, consists of 185 faculty and claims roughly 11% of the student body.[49] In 2003, the Ingram School of Engineering was established while funding for the program was later achieved primarily through a 5 million dollar donation from Bruce and Gloria Ingram.[49] According to Dr. Stephen Seidman, dean of the college, the college is unique in that it encourages students to get involved with faculty research. Along with the Ingram School of Engineering, the College of Science houses the following departments[49] :
The University College, previously known as the College of General Studies, is a college designed for students with undecided majors. It also houses the University Honors Program.[49]
The Graduate College was approved by the Board of Regents in 1935. Named the Graduate School, the name changed to the Graduate Studies and Research school in 1981, then to the Graduate School in 1999.[50] The Graduate College coordinates advanced degrees across all colleges and departments and serves as an administrative hub for graduate and doctoral students throughout the university.
Texas State University admits roughly 74 percent of applicants.[51] For admission at Texas State, prospective students must, along with an application, submit required essays and SAT or ACT scores. Class rank may also determine one's acceptance.[51]
Texas State had an official total student enrollment of 34,113 for the 2011 fall semester; approximately 29,000 of them were undergraduate-level students.[3]. Texas State had an average freshman retention rate of 75.2% from 2003 to 2006, placing the school in the top half of Western schools surveyed by US News and World Report.[52] The university has been recognized for having a higher graduating rate of Hispanic students compared to similar schools[53] where Hispanic students made up 25% of the student population as of 2010.[54]
Texas State has more than 250 student organizations within the categories of Academic, Chartered, Greek, Honors, Multicultural, Political, Professional, Recreational, Religious, Residence Halls, Service, Special Interest and Sports Clubs. The Greek community at Texas State includes a variety of service, traditions, and leadership. There are 31 organizations and more than 1,300 students who are members. Campus student-politics include the school's Associated Student Government, headed by the ASG President and Vice President. Along with the Executive Branch the ASG Senate, a Supreme Court, and the Graduate House of Representatives also make up the Associated Student Government.
Students have the option of utilizing the Student Recreation Center (SRC) at Texas State. A newly renovated extension, completed and dedicated in early 2009, added a rock wall, a natatorium with many indoor pools, additional cardio machines, a designated free weights room, workout studios, new locker rooms, a small scale computer lab, and a chartwells cafe.[55]
Texas State has an active Greek System which encompasses the Panhellenic Council, the National Multicultural Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Order of Omega with over 30 different fraternities and sororities. Active chapters include:
| Interfraternity Council[56] | National Pan-Hellenic Council[57] | Pan-Hellenic Council[58] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Department of Housing and Residential Life at Texas State University furnishes students with housing, including 21 on-campus residence halls and four off-campus apartments. As stated on their website, the department aids the university's overall goal to provide students with a well-rounded education by issuing support and sustainability through social and academic affairs.[59]
Residence Halls at Texas State University include Traditional, Suite, and Super-Suite Style options. Currently, the following options are given to students[60]:
Three times a week, The University Star, Texas State’s student newspaper, publishes coverage of the college’s news, trends, opinions and sports. The newspaper, located in the Trinity Building, has a distribution of 8,000 in the fall and spring semesters, and is on stands Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.[61] The paper is produced five times during the summer, and has a distribution of 3,000 copies. The Star is online at www.universitystar.com, where there are videos, blogs and podcasts in addition to the regular content. The Star and its staff have received awards including merits from Hearst Journalism, the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.[62]
Located in Old Main, Texas State's FM radio station, KTSW, broadcasts at 89.9 MHz and provides sports coverage of Texas State athletics and indie/independent music. The KTSW website provides live-streaming broadcasts, and the Texas State television channel employs KTSW broadcasts as background music. KTSW's morning show, Orange Juice and Biscuits, gained recognition in 2007 for being a finalist in Collegiate Broadcasters Inc.'s "Best Regularly Scheduled Program" award and again in October 2008, as it was among Austin360.com's top ten-rated morning radio shows.[63]
The university was featured in the G4's TV series Campus PD. "G4’s ‘Campus PD’ will feature San Marcos". http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/entries/2009/11/19/g4s_campus_pd_will_feature_san_marcos.html..
The Soap Box Derby has been an annual event since 1967 and is currently hosted by the Order of Omega. During homecoming week, participants race derby cars down Bobcat Trail. Participants are divided into three brackets: Student Organizations, Greeks and Residence Halls.[64]
Following each Fall and Spring semester, there is a ring ceremony that seniors are invited to, along with their friends and families. During the ceremony, the senior is presented with their school ring. The student then dips the ring in a fountain containing the waters of the San Marcos River.[65]
Created in 1960, the Texas State Strutters are the oldest dance team in any major Texas university. They are internationally recognized, and have performed in 22 countries in four continents. They have also performed in various sports venues throughout Texas and the United States as well as two presidential inaugurations and five feature films. The group has over 3,000 alumnae and is currently the largest drill team in the nation.[66]
Tradition holds the Theatre building is haunted by a Ghost named Ramsey[67]. In honor of this spirit Alpha Psi Omega the Honor Theatre Fraternity gives Ramsey Awards for (their version of the Tony’s) for the yearly production season[68].
Teams at Texas State compete at the Division I level and are members of the Southland Conference .[69] The university's football team currently competes as a Division I-FCS independent and does not qualify for postseason play with the Southland Conference. The football team will begin its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012 as it moves to the Western Athletic Conference. [70] A number of championships have been won including two NCAA Division II football championships, in 1981 and 1982, an NCAA Division II men's golf championship in 1983, and two Southland Conference championships in 2005 and 2008.[71]
In 1920, Texas State adopted its first official mascot, the Bobcat, at the urging of Oscar Strahan, who became the school's athletic director in 1919. Strahan suggested the Bobcat because the cat is native to central Texas and is known for its fierceness. The Bobcat did not get a name until 1964. At that time, Beth Greenless won the "Name the Bobcat" contest with the name Boko the Bobcat.[72]
In 2003, the Bobcat logo was designed by a Texas State student.[73] In August 2009, Texas State administrators refined its athletic mark by changing the font and placement of the SuperCat.[74]
With the intentions to increase fans and numbers at games, Texas State University formed rivalries with various schools including The University of Texas at San Antonio and Nicholls State University. Texas State and The University of Texas at San Antonio originally started this rivalry competing in basketball with hopes of bringing attention to central Texas sports along the I-35 corridor. In the 2007-2008 season, the series was expanded to an "all sport competition."[75]
Annually, Bobcats and the Colonels face off in the Battle for the Paddle Rivalry game. While preparing for a football game against the Nicholls State University Colonels, a flood struck San Marcos soaking the Bobcat Stadium field. Together, Athletic Directors and coaches chose to continue the game, thus, the name "Battle for the Paddle" was coined.[76]
With the continuing support for Texas State Athletics, there was an effort to promote the football team to Division I-FBS competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision. A student referendum was proposed on November 2007 and approved by the student body on April 2008. That referendum starting a move, dubbed “The Drive to FBS,” and has led to the renovation of athletic facilities, including construction of new baseball and softball stadiums and expansion of Bobcat Stadium. Texas State's first 2009 season football game against Angelo State University opened The Jerry D. and Linda Gregg Fields Bobcat Stadium West Side Complex encompassing Club and Luxury level seating.[77] Because Athletics Director Larry Teis stated the next phase in renovating Bobcat Stadium cannot begin until the stadium's track is relocated, the university broke ground on a new Track and Field Complex with land purchased by the university behind Bobcat Stadium. Completion of the Track and Field Complex is expected Summer 2011. In May 2011, Texas State began construction connecting the east and west sides at Bobcat Stadium. Completion is expected in time for Texas State’s first home 2012 football game against Texas Tech. Recent athletic fee raises are helping fund the renovations. On November 11, 2010, it was announced that Texas State would be joining the University of Denver and the University of Texas at San Antonio in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) beginning July 1, 2012.[78]
The Texas State Alumni Association is currently housed at the Alumni House, located on the corner of LBJ and University Drive. The Victorian style house is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It was a residence for students until the San Marcos Urban Renewal Agency recommended the house be used for the Alumni Association. Inside, visitors can find a variety of items used by LBJ while he was a student and the desk LBJ sat in while signing the Higher Education Act in 1965.[79]
Currently, plans exist to build a new Alumni Center consisting of meeting and ball rooms.[80]
Texas State carries a long list of notable alumni to its name. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers' College in 1926.[81] Johnson did not graduate until 1930, when he took a year off before returning.[82] The 2008-2009 Common Experience, Texas State's yearly initiative made to cultivate students in intellectual conversation, celebrated the Legacy of LBJ as it was the 100 year anniversary of his birth.[83]
Grammy Award-winning American country music singer George Strait is another highly notable Alumnus who graduated from Texas State. Strait, who graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture, is commemorated on campus by a bar/pool hall in the student center, called George's.[84] Additionally, many know him for setting up Freeman Ranch and an agriculture endowment fund providing scholarships for future bobcats.[28] In 2006, Strait received an honorary doctorate degree from the university for his "extraordinary levels of achievement" and loyalty to the university.[85]
Additional alumni include: Actor Bill Paxton, J.D. Fields & Co. founder, chairman and chief executive officer Jerry Fields who donated a record setting $6 million to Texas State's Athletic program which help fund the West Side Expansion at Bobcat Stadium,[86] ATP Oil and Gas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer T. Paul Bulmahn who also made a donation to the school,[87] musician Scott H. Biram, Actor Powers Boothe,[88] Writer Tomás Rivera,[89] Alfred P.C. Petsch, Texas State Representative from the 85th District, and mathematician R. H. Bing, a former president of the American Mathematical Society.
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