History of The University of Texas at Austin
Encyclopedia
The University of Texas was originally conceived in 1827 under an article in the Constitución de Coahuila y Texas
to open a public university in the state of Texas
. The Constitution of 1876 also called for the creation of a "university of the first class." Thus, they created The University of Texas. Since the school's opening in 1883, the University of Texas has expanded greatly with the Austin campus remaining the flagship university of the ever growing University of Texas System
. By the late 1990s, the university had the largest enrollment in the country and contained many of the country's top programs in the areas of law
, architecture
, film
, engineering, and business
.
adopted the Constitution of the Republic, which made its own provision to establish a system of public education in Texas. President Mirabeau B. Lamar
's first speech to the Texas Congress iterated the need for education in a democracy; two weeks later, Ezekiel Cullen presented a report to the committee on education that contained a bill providing that twenty leagues of land be set aside for two colleges or universities, the University of Texas and Texas A&M. By the time Cullen's bill became a law on January 26, 1839, Congress had agreed to set aside fifty league
s of land. In addition, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) in the new capital of Austin were reserved and designated "College Hill."
Congress failed to act any further until 1858, when lawmakers set out in the Act of 1858 $100,000 in United States bonds
left from the Compromise of 1850
to put towards the universities. In addition, the legislature designated land reserved for the encouragement of railroad construction toward the universities' fifty leagues. However, Texas's secession
from the Union and the outbreak of the American Civil War
prevented Congress from carrying out these plans.
After the war, the Constitution of 1876 mandated that the state establish the university "at an early day." The Constitution of 1876 also called for the creation of a "university of the first class." Thus, they created The University of Texas. It revoked the endowment of the railroad lands of the Act of 1858, but appropriated one million acres (4000 km²) in West Texas. In 1883, another two million acres (8,000 km²) was granted, with income from the sale of or grazing
rights to the land going to The University of Texas and Texas A&M
College. The passing of the Morrill Act in 1862 had facilitated the construction of Texas A&M, established in 1876. When mandating the creation of The University of Texas, the Texas Constitution had stated that it would "(include) an Agricultural, and Mechanical department."
The old Victorian-Gothic Main Building served as the central point of the campus's 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) site, and was used for nearly all purposes. Built in three stages by architect F. E. Ruffini, the first was completed in 1883 for the University's first class; subsequent construction saw the creation of the central section in 1891 and the east wing in 1899. However, by the 1930s, discussions rose about the need for new library space, and the Main Building was razed in 1934 to much protest. The modern-day tower and Main Building were constructed in its place.
In 1910, George Brackenridge donated 500 acres (2 km²) to the university located on the Colorado River
. A vote by the regents to move the campus was met with outrage. As a result, in 1921, the legislature appropriated $1,350,000 for the purchase of land adjacent to the main campus. Expansion, however, was hampered by the constitutional restriction against funding the construction of buildings. With the discovery of oil
on university-owned grounds in 1923, the institution was able to put its new wealth towards its general endowment fund. These savings allowed the passing of amendments to make way for bond issues in 1931 and 1947, with the latter expansion necessary from the spike in enrollment following World War II
. Temporary frame buildings were hastily constructed during this period, and the university built 19 permanent structures between 1950 and 1965. In 1965, the university was given the right of eminent domain
, and used its powers to purchase additional properties surrounding the original 40 acres (161,874.4 m²).
barricaded himself on the observation deck of the tower of the Main Building with a sniper rifle and various other weapons, killed 14 people on campus, and wounded many more. Following the Whitman incident, the observation deck was closed until 1968, and then closed again in 1975 following a series of suicide
jumps during the 1970s. In 1998, after installation of security and safety precautions, the tower observation deck reopened to the public. It is now surrounded by a protective metal grid to impede jumpers, and is open primarily on the weekends when the offices in the tower are not open. Visitors must pass through a metal detector
and are accompanied by police
and/or student chaperones while on the deck.
The first presidential library
on a university campus was dedicated on May 22, 1971 with former President Johnson
, Lady Bird Johnson
and then-President Richard Nixon
in attendance. Constructed on the eastern side of the main campus, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
is one of twelve presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration
.
The University of Texas has experienced a wave of new construction recently with several significant buildings. On April 30, 2006, the school opened a new 155000 square feet (14,400 m²) facility named the Blanton Museum of Art. The museum, the largest university art museum in the United States, is home to more than 17,000 works from Europe
, the United States
and Latin America
. In August 2008, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center opened for conferences, seminars and continuing education and executive-education programs. The hotel and conference center are part of a new gateway to the university extending the South Mall. Later the same month, after three years of renovations were completed, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium became the largest stadium (by seating capacity) in the state of Texas. In addition to numerous improvements, DKR now seats 100,119, up from the previous 94,113. In 2008, demolition of the old Experimental Sciences Building (ESB) was completed and construction began on a replacement to be named the Norman Hackerman Building (NHB) in honor and memory of Dr. Norman Hackerman, chemist, professor and president emeritus.
Texas Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Texas.Texas has had seven constitutions: the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, the state constitutions of 1845,...
to open a public university in the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The Constitution of 1876 also called for the creation of a "university of the first class." Thus, they created The University of Texas. Since the school's opening in 1883, the University of Texas has expanded greatly with the Austin campus remaining the flagship university of the ever growing University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
. By the late 1990s, the university had the largest enrollment in the country and contained many of the country's top programs in the areas of law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
, architecture
University of Texas School of Architecture
The University of Texas School of Architecture to is a college within The University of Texas at Austin and has its major facilities located on the main campus in Austin, Texas...
, film
University of Texas at Austin College of Communication
The College of Communication is the communication college at The University of Texas at Austin. The College was established in 1965 in an effort to consolidate the all Communication Studies under one roof including the Department of Public Speaking , School of Journalism , and independent...
, engineering, and business
McCombs School of Business
The McCombs School of Business, also referred to as the McCombs School or simply McCombs, is a business school at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to the main Austin campus, McCombs offers classes outside Central Texas in Dallas, Houston and internationally in Mexico City...
.
Establishment
Upon Texas's independence, the Congress of the Republic of TexasRepublic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
adopted the Constitution of the Republic, which made its own provision to establish a system of public education in Texas. President Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was a Texas politician, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the second President of the Republic of Texas, after David G. Burnet and Sam Houston.-Early years:Lamar grew up at Fairfield, his father's...
's first speech to the Texas Congress iterated the need for education in a democracy; two weeks later, Ezekiel Cullen presented a report to the committee on education that contained a bill providing that twenty leagues of land be set aside for two colleges or universities, the University of Texas and Texas A&M. By the time Cullen's bill became a law on January 26, 1839, Congress had agreed to set aside fifty league
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
s of land. In addition, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) in the new capital of Austin were reserved and designated "College Hill."
Congress failed to act any further until 1858, when lawmakers set out in the Act of 1858 $100,000 in United States bonds
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
left from the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
to put towards the universities. In addition, the legislature designated land reserved for the encouragement of railroad construction toward the universities' fifty leagues. However, Texas's secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the Union and the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
prevented Congress from carrying out these plans.
After the war, the Constitution of 1876 mandated that the state establish the university "at an early day." The Constitution of 1876 also called for the creation of a "university of the first class." Thus, they created The University of Texas. It revoked the endowment of the railroad lands of the Act of 1858, but appropriated one million acres (4000 km²) in West Texas. In 1883, another two million acres (8,000 km²) was granted, with income from the sale of or grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
rights to the land going to The University of Texas and Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
College. The passing of the Morrill Act in 1862 had facilitated the construction of Texas A&M, established in 1876. When mandating the creation of The University of Texas, the Texas Constitution had stated that it would "(include) an Agricultural, and Mechanical department."
Early years
In 1881, Austin was chosen as the site of the "Main University," and Galveston was designated the location of the "Medical Department." In addition, the legislature authorized a governing board of eight regents. An official ceremony began construction on what is now referred to as the Old Main Building in late 1882 on the original "College Hill." The university finally opened its doors on September 15, 1883.The old Victorian-Gothic Main Building served as the central point of the campus's 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) site, and was used for nearly all purposes. Built in three stages by architect F. E. Ruffini, the first was completed in 1883 for the University's first class; subsequent construction saw the creation of the central section in 1891 and the east wing in 1899. However, by the 1930s, discussions rose about the need for new library space, and the Main Building was razed in 1934 to much protest. The modern-day tower and Main Building were constructed in its place.
In 1910, George Brackenridge donated 500 acres (2 km²) to the university located on the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
. A vote by the regents to move the campus was met with outrage. As a result, in 1921, the legislature appropriated $1,350,000 for the purchase of land adjacent to the main campus. Expansion, however, was hampered by the constitutional restriction against funding the construction of buildings. With the discovery of oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
on university-owned grounds in 1923, the institution was able to put its new wealth towards its general endowment fund. These savings allowed the passing of amendments to make way for bond issues in 1931 and 1947, with the latter expansion necessary from the spike in enrollment following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Temporary frame buildings were hastily constructed during this period, and the university built 19 permanent structures between 1950 and 1965. In 1965, the university was given the right of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, and used its powers to purchase additional properties surrounding the original 40 acres (161,874.4 m²).
Shooting
On August 1, 1966, Charles WhitmanCharles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman was a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a former Marine who killed 16 people and wounded 32 others during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus on August 1, 1966....
barricaded himself on the observation deck of the tower of the Main Building with a sniper rifle and various other weapons, killed 14 people on campus, and wounded many more. Following the Whitman incident, the observation deck was closed until 1968, and then closed again in 1975 following a series of suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
jumps during the 1970s. In 1998, after installation of security and safety precautions, the tower observation deck reopened to the public. It is now surrounded by a protective metal grid to impede jumpers, and is open primarily on the weekends when the offices in the tower are not open. Visitors must pass through a metal detector
Metal detector
A metal detector is a device which responds to metal that may not be readily apparent.The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current that passes through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field...
and are accompanied by police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and/or student chaperones while on the deck.
Recent years
Completed in 1969, Jester Center was the largest residence hall in North America and was the largest building project in university history. It includes two towers: a 15-level and 11-level residences with a capacity of 3,200.The first presidential library
Presidential library
In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration...
on a university campus was dedicated on May 22, 1971 with former President Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
and then-President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
in attendance. Constructed on the eastern side of the main campus, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, including the papers of Lyndon Baines Johnson and those of his close associates and others...
is one of twelve presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
.
The University of Texas has experienced a wave of new construction recently with several significant buildings. On April 30, 2006, the school opened a new 155000 square feet (14,400 m²) facility named the Blanton Museum of Art. The museum, the largest university art museum in the United States, is home to more than 17,000 works from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. In August 2008, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center opened for conferences, seminars and continuing education and executive-education programs. The hotel and conference center are part of a new gateway to the university extending the South Mall. Later the same month, after three years of renovations were completed, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium became the largest stadium (by seating capacity) in the state of Texas. In addition to numerous improvements, DKR now seats 100,119, up from the previous 94,113. In 2008, demolition of the old Experimental Sciences Building (ESB) was completed and construction began on a replacement to be named the Norman Hackerman Building (NHB) in honor and memory of Dr. Norman Hackerman, chemist, professor and president emeritus.