Prairie View A&M University, commonly abbreviated PVAMU or PV, is a historically black university (HBCU) located in Prairie View, Texas, United States (northwest of Houston). The University is a member of the Texas A&M University System. In 2016, PVAMU celebrated its 140th year.
The University offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master's degrees and four doctoral degree programs through eight colleges and the School of Architecture. PVAMU is one of the Texas land-grant universities. Founded in 1876, PVAMU is the second oldest public university in the State of Texas, and is named an "institution of the first class" in the Texas Constitution. The University is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Prairie View A&M fields 16 intercollegiate sports team, commonly known by their "Prairie View A&M Panthers" nickname. Prairie View A&M compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Prairie View A&M is the only charter member remaining in the conference.
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History
The university was established by Article 7 of the Texas Constitution of 1876, created near the end of the Reconstruction Era after the American Civil War. In that year, senators Matthew Gaines and William H. Holland - both former slaves who became leading political figures - crafted legislation for the creation of a state-supported "Agricultural and Mechanical" college. In the article, the constitution stated that "Separate schools shall be provided for the white and colored children, and impartial provisions shall be made for both."
In an effort to comply with these constitutional provisions, the Fifteenth Texas Legislature, consistent with terms of the federal Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act - which provided public lands for the establishment of colleges - authorized the "Alta Vista Agriculture and Mechanical College for the Benefit of Colored Youth" as part of the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University).
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Academics
Prairie View A&M University offers academic programs through the following administrative units:
- Nathelyne A. Kennedy College of Architecture
- College of Agriculture and Human Sciences
- Marvin and June Brailesford College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Business
- Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
- Roy G. Perry College of Engineering
- College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology
- College of Nursing
- Undergraduate Medical Academy
- Office of Graduate Studies
In 2004, Prairie View A&M established the Undergraduate Medical Academy (UMA) which is a rigorous pre-medical program designed to prepare and mentor academically talented undergraduate students for success in medical school. UMA began as a result of a Texas legislative mandate in 2003 and is state funded with a mission to increase minority representation in the medical field and redress statewide physician and dentist shortages.
Additionally, Prairie View A&M established an honors program for academically exceptional undergraduates who meet the specific SAT/ACT, GPA, and recommendation criteria.
Prairie View A&M is consistently recognized as one of the top institutions in the country for producing the highest number of African-American architects and engineers by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
Prairie View A&M annually awards the second most STEM degrees in the Texas A&M University System.
Prairie View A&M academic programs are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and each college within the university holds additional accreditation or certifications.
Graduation and awarded degrees
During the university's 140-year history, more than 60,000 academic degrees have been awarded.
Accreditations
The University is accredited by the University (Regional Accreditation) Agency: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Inc. (SACSCOC). The university is accredited by this agency to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees.
Principals and Presidents
Initially, Texas A&M College and Alta Vista was governed by Principals.
- 1878 to 1879 L.W. Minor served as principal of both Texas A&M College and Alta Vista.
- E.H. Anderson served 1879 to 1885
- L.C. Anderson served 1885 to 1897.
- Edward L. Blackshear served 1897 to 1915
- I.M. Terrell served 1915 - 1918
- J.G. Osborne served 1918 to 1926
- W.R. Banks served 1926 to 1947.
- Dr. Edward B. Evans became the eighth principal in 1947,
In 1947, the Fiftieth Legislature changed the name of the institution to Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and the title of principal was changed to dean by the Board of Directors for the 1947-1948 school year. Then, on September 1, 1948, the title was changed to president.
- Dr. Edward B. Evans was inaugurated as the first president of Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College December 3, 1948.
- Upon his retirement, Dr. E.B. Evans was replaced in 1966 by Dr. J.M. Drew, yet when Dr. Drew fell ill shortly thereafter, Dr. Evans stepped back into the post.
- Dr. Alvin I. Thomas was elected third president in November, 1966.
- Upon Dr. Thomas' resignation in 1982, Dr. Ivory Nelson served as acting president for two months, until January 27, 1983.
- Dr. Percy A. Pierre was inaugurated in 1983.
- Dr. Milton R. Bryant served as interim president from 1983 to 1989.
- Julius W. Becton, Jr. LTG (Ret.) was appointed president on December 15, 1989,
- Dr. Charles A. Hines served from 1994 to 2002.
- Mr. Willie A. Tempton served from 2002 to 2003
- George C. Wright was inaugurated seventh president of Prairie View A&M University in 2003.
- Ruth Simmons was named Interim President of Prairie View A&M University on June 19, 2017 and assumed office on July 1, 2017, making history as the first female Chief Executive.
President's Reading List
In 2007, the university created the PVAMU President's Reading List, with the intention to "generate interest in reading, to promote formal and informal discussions and to broaden knowledge and intellectual thought." The reading list was distributed to PVAMU students, alumni, faculty, and staff, and was then circulated to and enthusiastically received by high school students, members of the Texas Legislature, representatives from other universities, and by the general public.
After distributing more than 40,000 copies of the first PVAMU reading list, the university released a second reading list, consisting of 70 recommended titles, both fiction and non-fiction in 2014.
Art gallery, library, and digital resources
John B. Coleman Library offers reading and research resources to PVAMU students and the surrounding area. The library holds over 370,000 Volumes, including over 700 print periodicals, close to 4,000 media materials, and provides access to 85 full-text databases across all academic disciplines. The library's extensive databases provide access to over 42,000 electronic periodicals and over 30,000 electronic books.
The library's Special Collection and Archives houses unique, rare, and historic collections, including the Tatum Collection, the Interscholastic League Papers and Awards, the Cooperative Extension Papers & photographs. The library serves as a "partial" Federal Document Depository and holds close to 2,500 government documents.
The John B. Coleman Fourth Floor Art Gallery was founded in 2004, with the goal of providing cultural enrichment to the Prairie View A&M University community through exhibitions, collections, and programming. The gallery showcases a diverse range of work by artists of color and creative visionaries from myriad cultural backgrounds. Showcased artists include: Ted Ellis, Ronney Stevens, Ava Cosey, and Carolyn Crump.
Research centers
PVAMU is home to research centers in diverse areas of study:
College of Agriculture and Human Science
- The Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC)
College of Architecture
- Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture (TIPHC)
College of Arts and Sciences
- Prairie View Solar Observatory (PVSO)
- Radiation Institute for Science and Engineering
College of Engineering
- The Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration (CRESSE)
- The Center for Digital Battlefield Communications
- The Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability
- The Center of Excellence for Communication Systems Technology Research
- Computational Biology and Bioengineering Research Lab
- Information Communication and Cyber Security Research and Education
- The Future Aerospace, Science and Technology
- The Texas Gulf Coast Environmental Data
- Center for Advancing Innovations in Smart Microgrid
- The Thermal Science Research Center
- Minority Achievement, Creativity, and high Ability Center
College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology
- Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center
College of Business
- Small Business Development Center
College of Nursing
- Prairie View Center for Nursing Research
Undergraduate Medical Academy
- Undergraduate Medical Academy
Campus
The university sits on a 1,440-acre (5.8 km2) campus in Prairie View, Texas and is 48.8 miles (78.5 km) northwest of downtown Houston. The rural campus is often affectionately referred to as "The Hill" because it rests on a hill in the region.
Community and economic development
PVAMU participates in the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
Demographics
As of Fall 2014 the university enrolled 6,932 undergraduate students, 1,265 students in masters programs, and 146 in doctorate programs. 5,111 (61%) of the undergraduate students were female and 3,232 (39%) were male. As of Fall 2014, of the 8,343 students enrolled, 6,958 (83%) were African-American, non-Hispanic; 267 (3%) were white, non-Hispanic; 420 (5%) were Hispanic; 234 (3%) were Asian; 33 were Native American or Alaska natives; 6 were Hawaiian; 144 (2%) were multiracial; 237 (3%) were "international;" and the ethnicity of 44 (1%) was unknown or unreported. The percentage of African-Americans had dropped from 86% in fall 2010 and the percentage of Hispanic and international students had increased slightly. 7,682 (92%) of the students were from Texas, 456 (5%) were from other states, and 205 (2%) were from other countries.
Student life
Housing
In 1998 ACC was awarded the contract to develop, build, and manage a student housing property at PVAMU. Both student residence housing properties at PVAMU are owned and operated by American Campus Communities. Freshmen students on campus may reside in the University College community. Upperclassmen may live in apartment style living in University Village (phases I, II, III, VI, and VII). The first of these apartment buildings was built in 1995.
University College opened in 2000. As of the fall of 2001, 40% of on-campus students lived at University College and the remaining 60% lived at University Village.
Previous buildings that formerly housed students include Alexander Hall, Banks Hall, Buchanan Hall, Collins Hall, Drew Hall, L. O. Evans Hall, Fuller Hall, Holley Hall, and Suarez Hall. Suarez Hall was already closed in 1996. In 1997 Alexander Hall, Buchanan Hall, and Collins Hall had closed. In 1998 Holley Hall had closed. In 2000 Drew Hall, Evans Hall, and Fuller Hall had closed. During the same year, Alexander, Buchanan, and Holley had been demolished. In 2001 Banks Hall had closed.
Student activities
Honda Campus All Star Challenge
The Prairie View Honda Campus All Challenge (HCASC) team won the National Championship in 2010 and 2015. The winning team in 2015 included Joseph Dowell, Captain, a senior from Killeen, Brannon Billings, a senior from Austin, Eric Johnston, a sophomore from Boerne, and Chayse Lavallais, a freshman from Houston, with Herbert Thomas, Career Placement Coordinator as the coach and Shahryar Syed, an Institutional Representative. The HCASC academic challenge and quiz bowl is the country's answer to March Madness where academic excellence and quick intellectual wit is on display. The road to the final four begins in the fall from a field of 78 and narrowed down to the Great 48 of America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Regional tournaments are held throughout the year with qualifying teams advancing. The PVAMU team is a charter member of the program which began in 1989 with Frederick V. Roberts, then Director of Student Activities at the university as the founding coach 1989-1996.
Athletics
Prairie View A&M University offers a wide variety of varsity and intramural sports programs.
Men's and women's athletic teams are nicknamed the Panthers and the team colors are purple and gold. Prairie View A&M is a charter member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), and is a member of the West Division. Prairie View competes in NCAA Division I in all varsity sports; in football, the Panthers play in the Division I FCS.
Prairie View's most notable rivals are Texas Southern University and Grambling State University.
Men's varsity sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and track and field. Women's varsity sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Football
In summer 2016, Prairie View A&M completed the first phase of construction on its $60 million football stadium and athletic field house. The state-of-the-art facility is 55,000 square feet and holds up to 15,000 people. The second phase of construction will increase capacity to 30,000 people.
PVAMU annual football classics include the Labor Day Classic versus Texas Southern and the State Fair Classic in Dallas versus the Grambling State Tigers.
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
The women's basketball team received national attention in 2005 with the naming of Cynthia Cooper as the head basketball coach. Cooper, a two-time WNBA MVP, led the Lady Panthers to the school's first ever SWAC title and NCAA Tournament berth in her second season as coach. Dawn Brown is the current women's coach. The Lady Panthers won the SWAC Tournament and NCAA berth for four consecutive years (2010-2014).
Women's outdoor track & field
The Lady Panther's Track and Field teams accumulated an unprecedented string of championships both indoor and outdoor. From 1965 to 1991 the Lady Panther's claimed 8 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) outdoor titles and 2 indoor titles; won national titles in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and the U.S. Track and Field Federation; won 8 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) cross country titles, nine indoor titles and five outdoor SWAC titles in track and field. In total the Lady Panther's won 23 SWAC championships
Coach Barbara Jacket was named SWAC Coach of the Year on 23 occasions and NAIA Coach of the Year five times and Jacket tutored 57 All-Americans. As coach of the 1992 U.S. Women's Olympic Track Team during the Olympics which ran from July 25 - August 9 in Barcelona, Spain, Ms. Jacket had the enviable task of coaching such greats as long jumper Jackie Joyner-Kersee and sprinters Gwen Torrance, Gail Devers, and Evelyn Ashford. The Women's team won overall 4 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals, and 3 Bronze Medals more than any team since 1956. She was the second Black female to coach an Olympic team
Women's bowling
In 2012, the Women's Bowling Team of Prairie View A&M University--won its first SWAC Champions and National Tenpin Coaches Association Final National Poll 19th Place Overall--Cynthia Veney, Shanice Brown, LeJewelia Lewis, Alexis Holmes, Roonesia Newsom, Sharita Turner and Coach Glenn White. The team has since won the SWAC Championship in 2013 and 2015.
Baseball
The Prairie View A&M Panther baseball team captured its first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in the school's history and won back-to-back SWAC titles in 2006 and 2007. During the last five years, Prairie View A&M has made four consecutive appearances in the SWAC's title game, finishing as the conference's runner-up in 2005 and 2008. Prairie View A&M recently captured its third SWAC title in 2012, defeating Mississippi Valley State University.
Prior to a double header against the Texas Southern Tigers, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the renovated baseball stadium on April 26, 2014. Along with the opening, the stadium was formally dedicated to former Panthers baseball coach, John W. Tankersley. The renovated stadium features seating for 512 including 192 chair backed seats, new concession stand, new restrooms, press box, and bricked dugouts. The stadium is also Wi-Fi enabled. The Panthers dedicated the stadium sweeping the double header winning 9-0 and 7-4.
Marching band
The university's official marching band is the Marching Storm and it is led by five drum majors. It supports the Delta Psi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity along with the Epsilon Psi chapter of Tau Beta Sigma honorary band sorority. During WWII the band's men enlisted in the military, and the Marching Storm became known as the "Co-eds", and was made up of exclusively female musicians. The "Co-eds" toured extensively throughout the US and the segregated south.
Past performances include President George W. Bush's 2001 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C., the 2004 Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game, the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase in Atlanta, Georgia and during the 2011 Super Bowl XLV halftime show with The Black eyed Pea's. The marching band traveled to the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California and performed in the opening act in front of the grandstands for the worldwide television audience. In Summer 2009, the Marching Storm mourned the death of their leader, Professor George Edwards. Students affectionately referred to him as "Prof" and will forever be remembered in their hearts.
In 2012 the Marching Storm welcomed director Timmey Zachery. The Marching Storm was selected as the first halftime performance of the 2014 - 15 season for the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. By nationwide vote, the group played in the Honda Battle of the Bands 2016 invitation.
The Marching Storm is joined by the Black Foxes, the university majorette/dance line.
Campus organizations
All nine members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council are represented at PVAMU. Though not a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Kappa Kappa Psi a national Honorary Band Fraternity, was the first Greek organization to have a chapter on campus. Sigma Lambda Gamma, a multicultural sorority, also has a chapter.
Student organizations
There are more than 150 organizations registered at the university representing various interests to include academic, honor societies, volunteer causes, political, and special interests.
Administration and organization
Governance
Prairie View A&M University is administrated by a number of governing bodies; the office of the president, faculty senate, and student government association.
Student government
The PVAMU Student Government Association was founded in 1982, and is officially chartered to speak on behalf of the student body to the University Administration, and internal and external organizations.
Notable alumni
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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