The Texas Tech University System is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
university system
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
with five member universities. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech University System is a $3 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research, and outreach with approximately 21,000 employees, more than 63,000 students, nearly 400,000 alumni and an endowment valued at $3.06 billion. In its short history (established in 1996), the TTU System has grown tremendously with 24 academic locations statewide and internationally.
History
On February 10, 1923, Texas Technological College (now named
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
) was founded, and that August, a committee selected to locate the institution in
Lubbock. The Board of Directors of Texas Technological College (now named the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System) was established to oversee the institution.
In 1969, the Texas Tech University School of Medicine (now named
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wi ...
), was founded as a separate multi-campus institution from Texas Tech University. It was also overseen by same board of regents as Texas Tech University.
In 1985, then state senator, and future TTU System chancellor,
John T. Montford proposed the creation of the Texas Tech University System.
In 1999, the Texas Legislature formally established the Texas Tech University System, consisting of the same two institutions, overseen by the board of regents, and the newly created position of chancellor to provide leadership and support for both Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
In 2007,
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the s ...
left the
Texas State University System and joined the Texas Tech University System. On May 18, 2013,
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso was established as a standalone institution after previously being a regional site for TTUHSC in
El Paso
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
.
On August 6, 2020, the Texas Tech University System and
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. As of Fall 2024, MSU Texas enrolled 5,324 students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts.
History
Founded in ...
agreed to a memorandum of understanding to begin the process of MSU Texas becoming the fifth university to join the system. The process continued on June 8, 2021, when Governor
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
signed HB 1522 into law. Midwestern State officially became a component institution when HB 1522 went into effect on September 1, 2021.
Component institutions
Angelo State University
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the s ...
is a public university with an enrollment of 10,826 (fall 2021) located in San Angelo, Texas. It was founded in 1928 as a two-year college. In 1965, the school began offering four-year degrees and 10 years later became part of the
Texas State University System.
Angelo State University offers 48 undergraduate degrees, 28 masters and two doctoral degree programs. The university is divided into five colleges, Health and Human Services, Arts and Humanities, Education, Graduate Studies and Research, Engineering and Business.
In March 2007, Rep. Drew Darby and Sen. Robert Duncan co-sponsored House Bill 3564, which aimed to realign Angelo State with the Texas Tech University System.
The merger received widespread support in both Lubbock and San Angelo.
The bill was approved by the full House on April 24, 2007, and by the Senate in a unanimous vote on May 15, 2007.
On May 23, 2007, Gov.
Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...
signed the bill.
A companion amendment to the
Texas Constitution went before voters on November 6, 2007, as Proposition 1, which passed 66.28 percent in favor to 33.72 percent against.
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. As of Fall 2024, MSU Texas enrolled 5,324 students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts.
History
Founded in ...
is a public university in
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...
with an enrollment of 5,797 (fall 2021). It is the only university in the state to become a member of the Council of Public
Liberal Arts
Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
Colleges. The school was founded in 1922 as Wichita Falls Junior College and was renamed Hardin Junior College in 1937 when it moved to its present location off Taft Boulevard. In 1946, when a senior division was added, it was renamed Hardin College. In January 1950, the name changed to Midwestern University, with the junior college division remaining Hardin Junior College.
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
was founded in 1923, is a public, coeducational, doctoral/research university, and is the system flagship. Current enrollment totals 40,666 students in fall 2021. The main campus is located in
Lubbock,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and is bordered by
Marsha Sharp Freeway (4th Street), 19th Street, University Avenue, and Quaker Avenue. It operates several satellite campuses and centers outside of Lubbock, listed in the next section. Texas Tech University consists of 13 colleges and schools and offers 150 degree programs.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wi ...
was created as the
Texas Tech University School of Medicine by the 61st Texas Legislature in 1969. In 1979, the charter was expanded to create the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The university's enrollment was a record 5,423 in fall 2021. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has five schools and operates on six campuses in addition to the main campus in Lubbock, Texas. TTUHSC's five schools are the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, which is headquartered in Amarillo, Texas. The institution has campuses located in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Lubbock, Midland and Odessa.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
On May 18, 2013, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) was established as a separate university from TTUHSC. The university is made up of four schools:
Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing,
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine,
L. Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciencesan
Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine
Governance and administration
Board of Regents
The government, control, and direction of the Texas Tech University System is vested in a nine-member Board of Regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. Each Regent serves a six-year term, and appointments are staggered so that three members of the Board's terms expire in odd-numbered years. In addition to the nine members, there also is a student regent who is appointed by the governor to serve a one-year term that begins on June 1 of each year.
In 1923, Governor
Pat Neff
Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician and educator who served as the List of Governors of Texas, 28th governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
appointed the first members of the Board of Directors of Texas Technological College (as the council was known until 1969). When the name of Texas Technological College was changed in 1969, so did the council to: Board of Regents of Texas Tech University. The council has been known by its current name,
Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System, after the Texas Tech University System was established in 1996.
Chancellor
The Chancellor is the chief executive officer of the Texas Tech University System appointed by, and responsible to, the Board of Regents. The Chancellor carries out the policies of the System as determined by the Regents and has direct responsibility for all aspects of the operations of the Texas Tech University System's six primary components: Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Midwestern State University and the Texas Tech University System Administration.
The Texas Tech University System has had five Chancellors:
John T. Montford, David Smith,
Kent Hance,
Robert L. Duncan, and
Tedd L. Mitchell.
Presidents
The presidents of
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
,
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wi ...
,
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the s ...
, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Midwestern State University are appointed by the Chancellor and are the CEOs of their respective institutions and responsible for the strategic operation of each institution.
Campuses
The five institutions of the Texas Tech University System are located on multiple campuses and academic sites.
Angelo State University
*
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...
Midwestern State University
*
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...
(main campus)
*
Flower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound is an incorporated town located in Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Located northwest of Dallas and northeast of Fort Worth adjacent to Grapevine Lake, the town derives its name from a prominent mound loca ...
Texas Tech University
* Amarillo, Texas (School of Veterinary Medicine)
* Cleburne, Texas (Hill College campus)
*
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
(
College of Architecture branch)
*
Escazú, San José, Costa Rica (Costa Rica campus)
*
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875.
Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...
*
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,451 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History
The community was founded in 1876 after the organization of Kimble County earlier ...
*
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...
(Main campus)
*
Marble Falls, Texas (
Texas Tech University at Highland Lakes)
* McKinney (Collin College campus)
* Rockwall, Texas
* Sherman, Texas (Austin College campus)
*
Seville, Spain
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
(Spain campus)
*
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
*
Abilene, Texas
Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...
*
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...
*
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
*
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...
* Mansfield, Texas
*
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...
*
Odessa, Texas
Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County.
Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
*
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Public university systems in the United States