Texas State University System
Encyclopedia
The Texas State University System (alternately TSUS) was created in 1911 to oversee the state's normal schools. Since its creation it has broadened its focus and comprises institutions of many different scopes. It is the oldest multi-system University System in Texas
. The system is unique to Texas because it is the only horizontal State University System
; the system does not have a flagship institution and considers each university to be unique in its own way. Over the years, several member schools have joined the TSUS or moved to other university systems. The Texas State University System saw its largest growth in 1995 when the Lamar University System
was incorporated into the TSUS. The incorporation saw four schools: Lamar University
, Lamar Institute of Technology
, Lamar State College-Orange, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur join the system. Today, the system encompasses eight institutions.
The system is headquartered in the Thomas J. Rusk State Office Building at 200 East 10th Street, Suite 600, in Downtown
Austin
.
The Texas State University System is governed by a nine member Board of Regents appointed by the Texas Governor. In addition, a nonvoting student regent is appointed annually to the Board. The administration is headed by a board-appointed Chancellor, who is based in Austin. The Board of Regents has the following members: Charlie Amato (Chairman), Donna N. Williams (Vice Chairman), Dr. Jaime Garza, Kevin J. Lilly, Ron Mitchell, David Montagne, Trisha Pollard, Rossanna Salazar, Michael Truncale and Ryan Bridges (Student Regent).
located in Beaumont
, Texas
. The school began as a junior college
in 1923 before becoming a four year institution in 1951 and a university
in 1971. Lamar is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, which places it in the top 7% of all US institutions of higher learning. The university has been a member of The Texas State University System since 1995 and was previously the largest member of the now defunct Lamar University System
. As of Fall 2010, the university had 14,388 students, the highest enrollment in the university’s 88-year history. Lamar's main academic offerings are Business
, Education
, and Engineering
though it offers a wide variety of fields of study. The average starting salary for a Lamar graduate is among the highest in Texas. The median starting salary for a Lamar graduate is $42,000 and the median mid-career salary is $77,400. Lamar students have the highest median starting and mid-career salaries in the Texas State University System. Lamar has the highest endowment to student ratio in the TSUS.
) is a doctoral-granting university located in San Marcos, Texas
. In fall 2009, the university had a record-high enrollment of 30,803 students. Texas State is the largest institution in the Texas State University System, the fifth-largest university in Texas
, and one of the fifty-five largest universities in the United States
. The only university in the state to have a former United States President as an alumnus, President Lyndon B. Johnson
graduated from what was then Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930 with a teaching certificate and a Bachelor of Science in history.
located in Huntsville
, Texas
. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first such institution of its type in the State of Texas. It is named for one of Texas' founding fathers, Sam Houston
, who made his home
in the city. SHSU is part of the Texas State University System and has approximately an enrollment of 17,000 students. The institution is classified as a Doctoral/Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. The Carnegie classification distinguishes the university by placing it in the top 7 percent of all institutions of higher education in the country.
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 system is unique to Texas because it is the only horizontal State University System
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
; the system does not have a flagship institution and considers each university to be unique in its own way. Over the years, several member schools have joined the TSUS or moved to other university systems. The Texas State University System saw its largest growth in 1995 when the Lamar University System
Lamar University System
The Lamar University System was a University system based in Beaumont, Texas. It comprised four institutions: the flagship, Lamar University, and the member institutions Lamar State College Port Arthur, Lamar State College Orange, and Lamar Institute of Technology. The system and it's member...
was incorporated into the TSUS. The incorporation saw four schools: Lamar University
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
, Lamar Institute of Technology
Lamar Institute of Technology
Lamar Institute of Technology is a public technical school in Beaumont, Texas. LIT was formerly a part of Lamar University, but became a separate institution when the university joined the Texas State University System in 1995.- Accreditation :...
, Lamar State College-Orange, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur join the system. Today, the system encompasses eight institutions.
The system is headquartered in the Thomas J. Rusk State Office Building at 200 East 10th Street, Suite 600, in Downtown
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
The Texas State University System is governed by a nine member Board of Regents appointed by the Texas Governor. In addition, a nonvoting student regent is appointed annually to the Board. The administration is headed by a board-appointed Chancellor, who is based in Austin. The Board of Regents has the following members: Charlie Amato (Chairman), Donna N. Williams (Vice Chairman), Dr. Jaime Garza, Kevin J. Lilly, Ron Mitchell, David Montagne, Trisha Pollard, Rossanna Salazar, Michael Truncale and Ryan Bridges (Student Regent).
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational doctoral granting public universityPublic university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
located in Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, 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 school began as a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
in 1923 before becoming a four year institution in 1951 and a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in 1971. Lamar is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, which places it in the top 7% of all US institutions of higher learning. The university has been a member of The Texas State University System since 1995 and was previously the largest member of the now defunct Lamar University System
Lamar University System
The Lamar University System was a University system based in Beaumont, Texas. It comprised four institutions: the flagship, Lamar University, and the member institutions Lamar State College Port Arthur, Lamar State College Orange, and Lamar Institute of Technology. The system and it's member...
. As of Fall 2010, the university had 14,388 students, the highest enrollment in the university’s 88-year history. Lamar's main academic offerings are Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
though it offers a wide variety of fields of study. The average starting salary for a Lamar graduate is among the highest in Texas. The median starting salary for a Lamar graduate is $42,000 and the median mid-career salary is $77,400. Lamar students have the highest median starting and mid-career salaries in the Texas State University System. Lamar has the highest endowment to student ratio in the TSUS.
Texas State University–San Marcos
Texas State University–San Marcos, commonly referred to as Texas State University or Texas State (it discourages the use of TSU, as that is a common abbreviation for Texas Southern UniversityTexas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
) is a doctoral-granting university located in San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
. In fall 2009, the university had a record-high enrollment of 30,803 students. Texas State is the largest institution in the Texas State University System, the fifth-largest university in 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...
, and one of the fifty-five largest universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The only university in the state to have a former United States President as an alumnus, President Lyndon B. 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...
graduated from what was then Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930 with a teaching certificate and a Bachelor of Science in history.
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University (known as SHSU or Sam) was founded in 1879 and is a public universityPublic university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
located in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, 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...
. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first such institution of its type in the State of Texas. It is named for one of Texas' founding fathers, Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, who made his home
Woodland (Huntsville, Texas)
Woodland, in Huntsville, Texas, was the residence of Sam Houston from 1847 to 1859. The clapboard-over-log house is on the grounds of Sam Houston State University, and is part of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.-External links:*...
in the city. SHSU is part of the Texas State University System and has approximately an enrollment of 17,000 students. The institution is classified as a Doctoral/Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. The Carnegie classification distinguishes the university by placing it in the top 7 percent of all institutions of higher education in the country.
Other institutions
- Lamar Institute of TechnologyLamar Institute of TechnologyLamar Institute of Technology is a public technical school in Beaumont, Texas. LIT was formerly a part of Lamar University, but became a separate institution when the university joined the Texas State University System in 1995.- Accreditation :...
- Lamar State College–OrangeLamar State College–OrangeLamar State College–Orange is a community college located in Orange, Texas. It currently serves around 2,000 students.-History:Opened in the fall of 1969 as an extension of Lamar University, LSC-O first held classes in a closed elementary school. Dr. Joe Ben Welch, the extension director, was...
- Lamar State College–Port ArthurLamar State College–Port ArthurLamar State College–Port Arthur is a community college located in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. The college has around 2,500 students.-History:...
- Sul Ross State UniversitySul Ross State UniversitySul Ross State University , a public university in Alpine, Texas, is named for former Texas governor, Civil War general Lawrence Sullivan Ross. It was founded in 1917 as Sul Ross Normal College and was made a university in 1969....
- Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College