Setting out to experience one's freshman year of college is an adventure in and of itself; however, it's an adventure that intensifies exponentially with Readership WT.

Readership WT is a common readership program initiated in 2005 to bolster the theme of the University's Quality Enhancement Plan, which is "Engaging the First-Year Student." The program is designed to use one specially selected book to help ease the transition of incoming freshmen to the University environment and develop in them a lifelong love of learning and reading.

Readership WT is directed especially at incoming freshmen but promoted throughout the campus, curriculum and community. Each year, a new book is selected by the Readership WT Book Committee, which is comprised of faculty, staff, students and community members. Once selected, the book is then distributed to all incoming freshmen at New Student Orientation and Buff Branding. Full-time faculty members also receive a copy and staff have access through department copies.

Further enhancing the experience is a guest speaker appearance from the author of the selected book at Freshman Convocation, a free and open-to-the-public orientation welcoming incoming freshmen into the WTAMU family.

Previous Readership WT selections and authors have been:

2005: A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind
2006: What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson
2007: Night by Elie Wiesel
2008: What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers

Current Readership WT selection is:

2009: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

For the first time, 20 West Texas A&M University freshmen were selected in 2007 to take an expenses-paid trip to central Europe to study the Holocaust based on essay contest submissions and their reading of the selection, Night by Elie Wiesel. Upon their return, each of the 20 were named Readership Ambassadors. As ambassadors, they take their European experience out into the community to share and educate. Follow the ambassadors through their blog.

In 2008, Readership WT Ambassadors traveled to Zambia, Africa and helped villagers by passing out mosquito nets and educating them on malaria and HIV. These ambassadors were chosen based on essay contest submissions and their reading of the selection, What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers. Get a glimpse of the Readership WT Ambassadors in action by watching this short video.