Prairie
View A&M enters new era of growth
The Texas Legislature’s 2001 funding of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Priority Plan has been significant in Prairie View A&M University’s effort to reach a new level of excellence.
“The OCR Priority Plan and the subsequent Texas Commitment that funded the plan have led to tremendous advances in the academic programs at Prairie View A&M,” said President George C. Wright. “As we approach 130 years of existence, new programs and buildings truly provide the necessary backdrop for this institution to move to a new level of excellence in academic offerings, research and service.”
The OCR plan, which originated with the “Texas Plan” developed in 1983, covers a broad range of activities and support intended to strengthen the education of students at Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern University. These include new academic programs, new state-of-the-art academic buildings and strengthening institutional development efforts. The Texas Legislature in its most recent regular session approved $3 million in new carry-over OCR funding for Prairie View A&M.
This and other related growth initiatives are paying off. The July 14 edition of Black Issues in Higher Education highlighted Prairie View A&M as a top master’s degree producer for African-Americans. In all disciplines combined, the university ranks fifth in the number of graduates, and second in agriculture and psychology.
This recognition is based on activities that preceded the OCR initiatives;
however, the priority plan established four master’s degree programs
(in accounting, community development, computer science, and information
systems) and four doctoral degree programs (in juvenile justice, educational
leadership, clinical adolescent psychology, and electrical engineering)
that will ultimately increase the number of advanced degrees awarded. In
this short time, Prairie View A&M has produced its first two Ph.D.s,
both in juvenile justice. More than 65 students are enrolled in the university’s
doctoral programs.
In addition, the Undergraduate Medical Academy was launched in partnership
with the A&M System Health Science Center to prepare students to pursue
careers in medicine by providing training and mentoring throughout their
undergraduate experience. The School of Architecture also added a bachelor’s
degree in construction science.
The first of the four buildings funded through the OCR, a three-story, 48,787-square-foot home for the electrical and computer engineering programs, is complete and preparations are under way for its grand opening on Aug. 25.
The new Architecture and Arts building, a 500-foot-long, three-story red brick structure at the entrance to campus, will be unveiled in October. The cylindrical structure at the building’s west end will be home to the theater program and the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture, which will be the state’s repository for African-American history and culture. A “canyon” that spans the building will provide space where students, faculty, staff and visitors can meet and exhibit creative works.
The university’s new College of Nursing building is in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. The 12-story, 100,000-square-foot building contains research facilities, faculty offices, classrooms and administrative areas. It also features an auditorium, reception hall, conference rooms and student affairs area with offices for all the necessary student services and activities, as well as state-of-the-art laboratories, resource centers and examining rooms.
Projected for completion in spring 2006, the Juvenile Justice and Psychology building was designed to be a model of a powerfully integrated approach to the study of human nature. The 68,000-square-foot high technology building will meet the functional needs of the College as a major focal point for recruiting undergraduate and graduate students by hosting seminars and workshops for criminal/juvenile justice practitioners, law enforcement officers, and social service and community representatives. The psychology clinic will have its own entrance and waiting area and three therapy/assessment rooms with one-way mirrors to permit student or supervisor observation.
New buildings and academic programs mandate aggressive recruitment and development initiatives. Prairie View A&M has secured $8 million in gifts and commitments to date in its five-year, $30 million capital campaign, which will end in April 2006. Recruitment efforts focus on attracting academically prepared students from underserved populations across the state and the nation.
Alumni involvement is crucial in these efforts. Dr. Wright is working closely with the alumni organization to expand the involvement of volunteers, including identifying graduates to serve on the university’s “Extend the View: Shape Tomorrow Today Campaign Cabinet,” to build a fund-raising team, and to launch internal and external public relations campaigns.