“Your Community, Your University” Tour – South Plains
In 2019, President Wendler embarked on the second leg of the "Your Community, Your University" tour, visiting 66 schools in the South Plains Region 17 district. In total, President Wendler spoke to approximately 15,900 students and traveled nearly 6,995 miles.
The conversations and hospitality were memorable. Meeting prospective students, parents, administrators, teachers, and community leaders strengthened the bond between WT and South Plains. The journey will not be forgotten. These connections continued expanded the success of several initiatives at WT including the WT Principal’s Scholars (WTPS) program, which invites high school principals in Region 17 to recommend five deserving students for automatic admission to WT yearly, a housing incentive plan, which offers up to a year of free housing for students who elect to live on campus, and automatic transfer scholarships, which guarantees thousands of dollars in scholarship to transfer students who meet the academic requirements. Visiting high schools in Region 17 was a unique way for President Wendler to learn the area south of WT and expand the University’s reach. This tour was conducted after the success of the first “Your Community, Your University” tour in the Region 16 Panhandle district.
Reflecting on the "Your Community, Your University" tours, President Wendler wrote an eBook focusing on his experiences, detailing what students should look for in a college. "Considering College," featuring a foreword by The Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, was shared with more than 43,000 people and is available online. To commemorate the two tours, a short video was created.
