WT Launches New Marketing Campaign Reflecting University Quality, Excellence

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

CANYON, Texas — As West Texas A&M University’s 2024-2025 academic year launches, the University is officially kicking off a new marketing campaign highlighting WT’s commitment to quality in all forms.

“WT: Excellence Redefined” reflects the University’s commitment to growth and improvements in research, campus life, facilities and other key aspects of academic excellence and student success.

“WT is the definition of excellence in higher education as an outstanding Regional Research University,” WT President Walter V. Wendler said. “We are committed to doggedly pursuing excellence in all forms to ensure an ever-changing student body is attracted to WT and receives an excellent education.”

The multi-year marketing campaign will shine a spotlight on the successes inspired by the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World and the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.

WT 125 focused the University on a mission to become a regional research university, encouraging faculty and students to embark on regionally important research that has national and global impacts.

The One West campaign, which fuels WT 125, 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.

“Excellence Redefined” takes that a step further, by highlighting and celebrating outstanding achievements of faculty, significant renovations and construction around campus, innovations in the classroom, and advances in support services.

Such markers of excellence include the 90 endowed professorships that have been created through gifts to the One West campaign. They include the dramatic transformation of the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building, which will thrust “Old Ed,” the University’s second-oldest academic building, into the 21st century as WT’s hub of digital learning. They include 12 pre-professional specializations preparing students for medical or veterinary school. They include nationally ranked programs in each of WT’s six Colleges and the Graduate School. They include smart classrooms and state-of-the-art fine arts production areas and laboratory spaces. And they include the adoption of such initiatives as the Journey of the Buffalo, aimed at equipping students with skills beyond the classroom; Meta Majors, which establishes learning communities in residential living; and Buff CARES, a new program welcoming students in recovery from substance use.

The campaign also will focus on the impact WT has on the Panhandle region, by fostering a vibrant community, by driving economic growth, by promoting collaborative projects and by showcasing regional impact.

“Student outcomes in areas such as degree completion, personal and professional growth, job or graduate program placement rates, starting salaries, salary progression, and civic engagement are a few of the ways our academic programs measure excellence,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We are pleased the new marketing campaign will highlight the numerous past, present, and future success stories of our students.”

Through the campaign, current and future WT students will see how the University offers unparalleled academic support, stellar academic programs, dynamic extracurricular activities, exceptional campus amenities and student life, and outstanding career services.

“As a powerhouse regional university, WT is dedicated to redefining excellence every day,” Wendler said. “WT’s educational mission is to empower individuals to imagine more, spark innovation, and drive meaningful change to contribute to a better world. We never rest in our effort to offer the highest quality educational experience.”

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. 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 more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and 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—