WT Fall Semester Opens Aug. 26; Students to Return to Major Campus Advances

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Fall 2024 classes will begin Aug. 26 at West Texas A&M University, and students will be on the ground floor of exciting changes—from free textbooks to new degree options to major construction projects.

“WT never rests in its pursuit of greatness and in its efforts to provide the best education for its students, and this fall, in particular, is a time of great, exciting changes on campus,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler.

Move-In Day is Aug. 22, and Buff Branding, the traditional welcome weekend for new and returning students, is Aug. 22 to 24.

Buffs taking classes in the fall semester will be the first to take advantage of no-charge-to-student textbooks and other educational resources in all core classes.

The no-charge-to-student pledge first was made in January by President Wendler. In May, University officials announced a deal with major publishing houses Cengage and McGraw Hill that will provide students digital textbooks and ancillary materials, including digital learning platforms, mobile apps and more.

Students can save $800 per semester or more, depending on their major.

Cengage’s license allows faculty members to curate content from multiple texts for use in their courses with no additional costs to students. Print textbooks also will be available to rent or purchase by students, if they wish.

Among the McGraw Hill benefits provided through the partnership with WT are mobile apps allowing students and faculty to access ebooks offline, the Sharpen study app for students, and more.

WT also is launching its first embedded associate degree this semester, with seven more planned to launch in the spring. This is the first such adoption of embedded associate degrees in Texas and one of the first in the nation.

Students can earn an associate degree in mathematics en route to completing a bachelor’s degree, following the recent approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

In February, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a plan that establishes eight new degree programs: associate of arts degrees in liberal arts and humanities and multidisciplinary studies, and associate of science degrees in business, education, health sciences, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences.

Students will not enroll in an associate degree program, so the plan is not meant to compete with community colleges. Rather, the degree will be automatically awarded to them once they meet the requirements. They will be mailed a diploma, but they will not take part in graduation ceremonies. These degrees will not be awarded to students who already hold an associate degree.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, people with associate degrees earn almost 14 percent more in average weekly earnings. Those holding an associate degree are 38 percent more likely than those with a high school degree to be in a management, professional or other related job.

Additionally, construction officially began in May for a $30 million renovation of the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building, the second-oldest educational facility on campus.

Known to generations of students as “Old Ed,” the building has been used for storage since the 1980s, but it originally was designed as a kindergarten-through-12th-grade school that supported hands-on learning for those seeking education degrees, then used for years as a classroom building for WT students.

The project is largely funded by the State of Texas Capital Construction Assistance Program, with a naming gift from the Stanley Schaeffer family.

When construction is complete, the building will be a destination to support and expand WT’s already robust online learning programs. The building also will house the WT Graduate School.

Elsewhere on campus, the Bain Athletic Complex, a 15-year and $12.5 million project, officially opened in July, offering expanded locker rooms, modern office space, weight rooms and more.

The Joseph A. Hill Memorial Chapel reopened in June following more than $1 million in renovations. One of few chapels on the campus of a public university in Texas, the Hill Chapel serves students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community at large.

The University Dining Hall added new carpet and seating arrangements in the east dining hall, as well as HVAC and electrical upgrades; phase II of the project, which will include second-floor renovations, is in the design phase. Elevators have been replaced in Jones Hall, and new luxury vinyl tile flooring and other improvements have been made to Cross Hall.

Providing regionally responsive academic programs and student-centered facilities are key components of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—