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Texas Woman's University (historically the Girl's Industrial College and Texas State College for Women) is a university with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston, Texas (USA). Originally a women's college, it opened some health science programs to male students in 1972, and in 1994 opened all of its programs to co-ed enrollment. It is the largest state supported university for women in the United States.
History
In 1901 the Girls Industrial College was founded by an act passed by the State of Texas 27th Legislature. 1934 saw the name of the school changed to Texas State College for Women. In 1957 the school's name was changed to Texas Woman's University.
TWU is unique among Texas institutions of higher education. This university's core curriculum requires all undergraduates to take both three hours in women's studies and three hours in multicultural studies. The Office of Intercultural Services is a very important resource for the entire TWU campus community.
The nursing program began at Dallas's Parkland Hospital. In 1963 a branch of the school was established for the training of nursing students at the Texas Medical Center. Today, TWU is internationally known for its health sciences programs. Admission to these programs is highly competitive. A new Houston campus is scheduled to open in 2006.
Men were admitted to graduate health science programs in 1972. Men were admitted to all divisions of the University in 1994. A man assumed the student body presidency in 2004 after the then-President resigned and constitutional mandate required the Senate Vice President to assume duties.
University presidents
- Cree T. Work, 1903-1910
- William Bennett Bizzell, 1910-1914
- Francis Marion Bralley, 1914-1924
- E.V. White (acting), 1924-1925
- Lindsay Blayney, 1925-1926
- Louis Herman (L.H.) Hubbard, 1926-1950
- John A. Guinn, 1950-1976
- Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey, 1976-1986
- Shirley Sears Chater, 1986-1993
- Patricia A. Sullivan (interim), 1993-1994
- Carol D. Surles, 1994-1999
- Beverley Byers-Pevitts (interim), February-November 1999
- Ann Stuart, 1999-Present
Notable presidents
- John A. Guinn was the longest serving president of Texas Woman's University. His term of office began in 1950 and he died in office 1976 from a heart attack at the Redbud Festival. The Denton campus's physical plant doubled in size during his administration and the original Dallas-Parkland and Houston campuses were established. John A. Guinn residence hall (built 1969) on the Denton campus is named after him.
- Dr. Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey was the first female president of Texas Woman's University. Prior to assuming the presidency, she was the Dean of the Graduate School and a professor of government. Dr. Huey was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for having chaired the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. The Denton campus library is named after her. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.
- Dr. Shirley Sears Chater served as a commissioner of the United States Social Security Administration (1993-1997). She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Chater is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Academy of Social Insurance.
- Dr. Carol Diane Surles was the first African American president of Texas Woman's University.
Academics
The school is divided into seven colleges.
The College of Arts and Sciences encompasses the School for the Arts which supports programs in music, art and dance and The School of Management which confers business degrees including the M.B.A.. Science, English, Math and other liberal arts courses are available in this college.
The College of Professional Education encomapsses Departments of Family Sciences, Readings and Teacher Education, and the School of Library & Information Studies.
The College of Health Sciences is supported at the Houston and Dallas campuses and includes the Schools of Occupational Therapy and The School of Physical Therapy. Programs in Health Care Administration and Nutrition are included in this college.
The College of Nursing is one of the largest in the nation, and is the 5th oldest Doctoral program in Nursing in the United States. The college offers programs on the Baccalaureate, Masters, and Doctoral level. It has campuses in Houston and Dallas.
The Graduate School functions as a separate unit of the university. It was originally established in response to the increased demand for women's graduate education. The Graduate School processes graduate admissions to the university and subsequent academic affairs.
The School of the Arts integrates all of TWU's fine arts (dance, drama, music, art, and theater) into an integrative pedagogy. It promotes holistic and balanced development of students in the pursuit of self-expression.
The School of Management is the newest academic division at the university. In 2000 the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board authorized the creation of this unit from the school's business and economics department. The School of Management offers undergraduate courses and degrees, but emphasizes the MBA with emphasis on women and/or minority business ventures. A joint Health Care Administration degree is available through the University's Parkland campus. Dr. Paula Ann Hughes is the director of the school.
The Woman's Collection and Women's Studies
The second floor of Blagg-Huey Library houses "The Woman's Collection". Established in 1932 by the Library at the suggestion of then-president L.H. Hubbard to inspire the women students, the collection now has 42,000 books, 3,000 manuscripts, 19,000 photographs, and 2,000 periodicals.
Highlights of the Woman's Collection include the WASP Archival Collection which features the history of Women Airforce Service Pilots between 1942 and 1944, the Cookbook collection which showcases culinary arts from around the world, and the University collection containing history of the university. The Woman's Collection is the official repository for thousands of organizations, agencies, and conferences in Texas and the southwest concerned with women's rights, agency, and status.
The Woman's Collection also contains information on the 1981 exhibit about Texas women's history. Originally produced by the Texas Foundation for Women's Resources, the exhibit is permanently housed at TWU.
Many famous women visit Texas Woman's University. Sarah Weddington has lectured and/or taught courses since the early 1980's. United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and United States Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson have participated in leadership conferences encouraging people to become more aware of women and leadership issues.
Hubbard Hall, the former central dining facility, now contains the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. This state-established exhibit honors Texas women who make significant public contributions to the state.
Texas Woman's University offers a M.A. in Women's studies. This program makes excellent use of the library and other institutional resources, receiving full encouragement from the university. The program director is Claire Sahlin.
Athletics
The TWU school colors are maroon and white (Source: TWU athletic department web site).
TWU (mascot: the Pioneers) have NCAA Division II programs in basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, and gymnastics. The Pioneers compete in the Lone Star Conference, but only in female sports.
Student publications and media
The Lasso is a student-produced daily newspaper which was produced by the Mass Communications program and other interested students. Initially a daily, it switched to a weekly format in the 1990s. The Lasso moved from the School of Library and Information Studies to the Department of English, Speech and Foreign Languages in Spring 2006.
A yearbook, The Dadaelian, was published by the Mass Communications program until 1979. The declining levels of traditional college students was the factor in the book's discontinuation. Because they were the most likely group to be involved with and purchase the books, it was difficult to justify production. A 1986 attempt to reinstate yearbooks with The Pioneer failed.
Greek Life
Sororities
Notable alumni
- Caro Crawford Brown (B.A. 1925) First woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting.
- Kaye Stripling (B.S. 1962) Became superintendent of HISD when Rod Paige was nominated to serve as United States Secretary of Education.
- Millie Hughes-Fulford (Ph.D. 1972) NASA Astronaut who studied Osteoporosis. She flew aboard STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1) in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. She was the first civilian scientist on a space mission.
- Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash (M.S. 1979) Studied microbiology and went on to become a high-ranking Iraqi scientist. After surrendering herself in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, she was later deemed not a security threat and was released in 2005.
External links
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools | Universities and colleges in Texas | Women's universities and colleges in the United States
"Texas Woman's University"