University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Encyclopedia
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (commonly called UT Permian Basin or simply UTPB) is located in Odessa, Texas
. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature
in 1969 and founded in 1973. Its unofficial fall 2007 enrollment was 3,586.
, who with his wife, the former Ellen Witwer, became major philanthropists of the institution.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin began in 1973 with only junior, senior, and graduate level programs. There were 1,011 students when the school opened. The institution permitted student input in the interviews of prospective faculty, and student recommendations were considered when additional faculty were hired.
According to legend, a rivalry with Odessa College
(OC) got underway from the very beginning when OC students taunted the UTPB students that they were too old to produce a streaker
. A student finally agreed, and with only his head covered, streaked across the campus. The Director of Admissions not only witnessed the feat, but contributed to the bail when the student was arrested.
, a member of the first graduating class from UTPB, represented Odessa in the Texas House of Representatives
from 1993 until his death in 2008. He became the legislative point man on UTPB issues. West worked to obtain the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
, a new student union building, and the performing arts center.
A Stonehenge replica was recently added adjacent to the Visual Arts Studio.
Currently three new building are under construction; the Student Multipurpose Center, the Science and Technology Building, and the Performing Arts Center.
(Discussed further in the article)
Other Places of Interest
Future Developments
Future Developments
. The average cost for an undergraduate student to attend UTPB full time (12 hours) is about $1,800. The average cost for an out-of-state undergraduate student to attend UTPB full time (12 hours) is about $5,000.
Currently there are about 27 active student clubs and a few more that are active some semesters.
Changes are visible at the construction site of the Student Multipurpose Center. The roof is complete as well as most interior partitions. Sheet rocking has begun and masons have started laying up brick on the north wall. The Utility Tunnel will begin the first week of April. Late in the summer of 2010, UTPB students will find a home-away-from home in this building with features like a user-friendly dining room, childcare center, fitness center, meeting and study rooms along with offices for student organizations, a lounge, and external shaded pavilion.
Mission Statement:
The Mesa Journal is designed to inform, entertain, educate and heighten awareness of students, faculty and administrators at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Staff members will be responsible journalists by maintaining high ethical standards with fairness, accuracy and balance.
passed a bill in spring 1991 to allow the university to accept freshmen and sophomores. The first freshmen, called the "Pioneer Freshmen," began attending UTPB in the fall semester of 1991, and students were first designated as sophomores the following fall. Odessan Chris Horton was the first member of the "Pioneer Freshmen" to graduate from UTPB, completing his bachelors degree in political science
in May 1994.
In the years after freshmen and sophomores were added, UTPB has upgraded its campus extensively. In 2000, the J. Conrad Dunagan Library and Lecture Center was completed, featuring a twenty-station multimedia lab and classroom. In addition, UTPB has added a visual arts studio, and has installed a Stonehenge
replica. Several apartment-style building have also been added to provide housing for university students. While upgrading the campus, UTPB has also added an intercollegiate sports program. After competing in the Red River Athletic Conference
of the NAIA
since the fall of 1995, UTPB's sports teams debuted as members of the Heartland Conference
of NCAA Division II in the fall of 2006. In 2009, UTPB finally got a radio contract to air men's home conference basketball games on KFZX
to increase the interest in the school and allow parents who live out of town to listen to the games live online. 6 of the 8 games in 2009 will be broadcast. 2 of them can't be done due to a pre-existing contract with fellow city college Odessa College
. These and other changes have helped to attract local students who may have opted for junior colleges or other universities.
Another significant addition to the University has been the John Ben Shepperd
Public Leadership Institute. The Institute provides seminars, training and research on public leadership all over Texas, and offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Leadership Studies
. The Institute is also well regarded for its Shepperd Distinguished Lecture Series, which has brought a variety of internationally recognized individuals, such as Mikhail Gorbachev
, Robert McNamara
, Ralph Nader
, William F. Buckley, Jr.
, and most recently Malcolm Gladwell
to discuss salient political and social topics.
As of 2006, the university was holding discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
about construction of a new High-Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor which, if successful, would finish licensing and construction around 2012. It would also be the first university based research reactor to be built in the US in roughly a decade and be one of the few HTGR type reactors in the world.
A state-of-the-art building known as the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center is under construction as well near the C.E.E.D. building off Hwy 191 and FM 1788. Construction began in 2009 and should be completed in late in 2011. Concrete decks have been poured on mezzanine and upper balconies, and the steel frame has been erected and the slab poured for the Academic Wing. Masons will begin block walls in late March, and parking lot light pole bases are being completed. It will be utilized for fine art classes as well as to attract performances from across the world to the Midland/Odessa area, unlike anything ever seen in the area.
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
in 1969 and founded in 1973. Its unofficial fall 2007 enrollment was 3,586.
Beginning years
Among those who pushed for the establishment of UTPB was the oil industrialist Bill NoëlBill Noël
William Douglas Noël, known as Bill Noël , was an independent oilman, industrialist, banker, rancher, philanthropist, and civic leader in Odessa, Texas.-Background:...
, who with his wife, the former Ellen Witwer, became major philanthropists of the institution.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin began in 1973 with only junior, senior, and graduate level programs. There were 1,011 students when the school opened. The institution permitted student input in the interviews of prospective faculty, and student recommendations were considered when additional faculty were hired.
According to legend, a rivalry with Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
(OC) got underway from the very beginning when OC students taunted the UTPB students that they were too old to produce a streaker
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
. A student finally agreed, and with only his head covered, streaked across the campus. The Director of Admissions not only witnessed the feat, but contributed to the bail when the student was arrested.
Recent years
George E. "Buddy" WestBuddy West
George E. "Buddy" West was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Odessa, who was known for his staunch support of his hometown University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
, a member of the first graduating class from UTPB, represented Odessa in the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from 1993 until his death in 2008. He became the legislative point man on UTPB issues. West worked to obtain the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
The Presidential Museum and Leadership Library is a museum and library complex located in Odessa, Texas, on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Unlike the many presidential libraries, the museum is dedicated to the office of the President of the United States, rather than...
, a new student union building, and the performing arts center.
A Stonehenge replica was recently added adjacent to the Visual Arts Studio.
(Discussed further in the article)
Main Campus
- Mesa Building
- J. Conrad Dunagan Library/Lecture Center
- Founder's Building
- Visual Arts Studio
- Gymnasium Complex
- Gym Annex Building
- Parker Ranch House
- Falcon's Nest(Housing)
- Falcon's Court(Housing)
- Industrial Technology Building
- Thermal Energy Plant
- Physical Plant
- PETEX
Other Places of Interest
- Ellen Noel Art Museum
- Presidential Museum & Leadership Library
- Fire Station(City of Odessa)
- U.T.P.B. Park(City of Odessa)
Future Developments
- Student Multipurpose Building
- Science and Technology Building
Off Campus
- Center for Energy and Economic Diversification (CEED)
Future Developments
- Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
- Performance Hall
- Helen Greathouse Hall
Degrees Offered
Undergraduate Degrees- College of Arts and Sciences
- Applied Arts and Science (B.A.A.S.)
- Art (BA, BFA)
- Biology (BS)
- Chemistry (BS)
- Child and Family Studies(BA)
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences (BS)
- Communication
- Computer Science(BS)
- Criminal Justice (BS)
- Criminology (BS)
- Drama (minor only)
- English (BA)
- Environmental Science (BS)
- Geology (BS)
- History (BA)
- Humanities (BA)
- Information Systems (BS)
- Kinesiology (BS)
- Leadership Studies (BA)
- Mathematics (BS)
- Music (minor only)
- Political Science (BA)
- Psychology (BA)
- Social Work (BSW)
- Sociology (BA)
- Spanish (BA)
- School of Business
- School of Education
Student body
UTPB has a 18/1 student/faculty ratio, and 90 percent of the tenure track faculty hold doctorates in their teaching fields.Tuition
UT Permian Basin is part of the University of Texas SystemUniversity 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...
. The average cost for an undergraduate student to attend UTPB full time (12 hours) is about $1,800. The average cost for an out-of-state undergraduate student to attend UTPB full time (12 hours) is about $5,000.
The Student Union
The current student Union was inaugurated in 2001 in a centralized location on the 2nd floor of the Mesa building. There it has Commons area, Student organization suite, Game rooms, Meeting rooms, Multipurpose room, Coffee shop/deli, Office of Student Life, Student Senate offices and Program Board offices.Currently there are about 27 active student clubs and a few more that are active some semesters.
Changes are visible at the construction site of the Student Multipurpose Center. The roof is complete as well as most interior partitions. Sheet rocking has begun and masons have started laying up brick on the north wall. The Utility Tunnel will begin the first week of April. Late in the summer of 2010, UTPB students will find a home-away-from home in this building with features like a user-friendly dining room, childcare center, fitness center, meeting and study rooms along with offices for student organizations, a lounge, and external shaded pavilion.
Parker Ranch House
The Parker Ranch House is a new addition to the campus, dedicated November 9, 2004. Parker Ranch House was named by the Parker family in memory of James Early "Jim" Parker, Jr. and Bessie Ola Parker. The Parkers embodied the ranching lifestyle of generations of a family that served the communities of Andrews and Ector counties since 1907. Jim and Bessie Ola Parker weathered the Great Depression and years of drought before the Humble Oil & Refining Company discovered oil on one of their ranches, permitting them to sell the mineral rights. They had three ranches, including one in Andrews. Parker was involved in organizing the municipal structure of Andrews County in 1910. He later served as county commissioner from 1921 to 1924, established the Andrews Bank, and served as its president of its board of directors for many years.The Mesa Journal
The Mesa Journal is a student publication that provides information, commentary and entertainment for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin community. Opinion/editorial statements and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the UT Permian Basin administration.Mission Statement:
The Mesa Journal is designed to inform, entertain, educate and heighten awareness of students, faculty and administrators at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Staff members will be responsible journalists by maintaining high ethical standards with fairness, accuracy and balance.
The Sandstorm
THE SANDSTORM, an annual magazine publication, is a collection of poems, short stories, and essays submitted by students and selected by a panel for publication. The magazine also prints photographs of student art that includes painting, sculpture, pottery, and photography. THE SANDSTORM is a student publication with its editor and staff selected from the student body. Distribution of THE SANDSTORM takes place each Spring.Changes since 1991
UTPB was an upper level and graduate university until the Texas LegislatureTexas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
passed a bill in spring 1991 to allow the university to accept freshmen and sophomores. The first freshmen, called the "Pioneer Freshmen," began attending UTPB in the fall semester of 1991, and students were first designated as sophomores the following fall. Odessan Chris Horton was the first member of the "Pioneer Freshmen" to graduate from UTPB, completing his bachelors degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in May 1994.
In the years after freshmen and sophomores were added, UTPB has upgraded its campus extensively. In 2000, the J. Conrad Dunagan Library and Lecture Center was completed, featuring a twenty-station multimedia lab and classroom. In addition, UTPB has added a visual arts studio, and has installed a Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
replica. Several apartment-style building have also been added to provide housing for university students. While upgrading the campus, UTPB has also added an intercollegiate sports program. After competing in the Red River Athletic Conference
Red River Athletic Conference
The Red River Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference's 14 member institutions are located in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Pending acceptance of their application to the conference, a 15th member, the University...
of the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
since the fall of 1995, UTPB's sports teams debuted as members of the Heartland Conference
Heartland Conference
The Heartland Conference is an NCAA Division II college athletic conference founded in 1999. The majority of members are in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.-Member schools:...
of NCAA Division II in the fall of 2006. In 2009, UTPB finally got a radio contract to air men's home conference basketball games on KFZX
KFZX
KFZX is a radio station located in the Midland/Odessa, Texas market which plays a classic rock music format.-History:102.1 went on air in 1983 as "K-WES the HOT 102 FM". City of license was Monahans, Texas. The station went on air from a thousand foot tower near Notrees, Texas.The CP was obtained...
to increase the interest in the school and allow parents who live out of town to listen to the games live online. 6 of the 8 games in 2009 will be broadcast. 2 of them can't be done due to a pre-existing contract with fellow city college Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
. These and other changes have helped to attract local students who may have opted for junior colleges or other universities.
Another significant addition to the University has been the John Ben Shepperd
John Ben Shepperd
John Ben Shepperd was the segregationist Texas attorney general from 1953–1957 who led resistance to the desegregation of public schools mandated by the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka...
Public Leadership Institute. The Institute provides seminars, training and research on public leadership all over Texas, and offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Leadership Studies
Leadership studies
Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences , in humanities , as well as in professional and applied fields of study...
. The Institute is also well regarded for its Shepperd Distinguished Lecture Series, which has brought a variety of internationally recognized individuals, such as Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
, William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
, and most recently Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
to discuss salient political and social topics.
As of 2006, the university was holding discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
about construction of a new High-Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor which, if successful, would finish licensing and construction around 2012. It would also be the first university based research reactor to be built in the US in roughly a decade and be one of the few HTGR type reactors in the world.
Changes since 2008
Most recently, on April 17, 2008, the university broke ground on a new Science and Technology Complex. The new building will house the chemistry, biology, physics, computer science, and information technology programs. The new 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) building will contain 41 labs, 56 offices, six classrooms, and 3 sunken lecture halls. Ironically, despite warnings from a university geology professor, the contractor failed to identify an underground aquifer that could cause the building supports to sink. It will replace most of the aging and tight quartered labs that are presently located in the Mesa Building, as well as allow for the use of updated and cutting-edge technology for research. UTPB expects the complex to be completed by 2010. Work is progressing smoothly for the Science & Technology Complex on the main campus. Since all slabs have been poured on the science wing, structural steel for the roof framing is being placed. On the technology wing, forming is being erected for the structural concrete slab for the second floor. When finished, the building will house classrooms, multiple laboratories including two large demonstration labs, a 200-seat lecture hall, and a state-of-the-art Data Communications Teaching Lab for undergraduate and graduate students.A state-of-the-art building known as the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center is under construction as well near the C.E.E.D. building off Hwy 191 and FM 1788. Construction began in 2009 and should be completed in late in 2011. Concrete decks have been poured on mezzanine and upper balconies, and the steel frame has been erected and the slab poured for the Academic Wing. Masons will begin block walls in late March, and parking lot light pole bases are being completed. It will be utilized for fine art classes as well as to attract performances from across the world to the Midland/Odessa area, unlike anything ever seen in the area.