Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View A&M University is a historically black university (HBCU) located in Prairie View, Texas, United States (northwest of Houston) and is a member of the Texas A&M University System. PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools. PVAMU is one of Texas' land grant universities. The University is a member-school of Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

History
Founded in 1876, Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest state-sponsored institution of higher education in Texas.

In 1876, 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 an "Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Benefit of Colored Youth" as part of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University). Governor Richard Hubbard appointed a three-man commission, including Ashbel Smith, a long-time supporter of public education. The Commissioners bought Alta Vista Plantation, near Hempstead in Waller County, Texas for $15,000, and turned the school over to the A&M board. Texas A&M President Thomas S. Gathright selected L. W. Minor of Mississippi as the first principal, and on March 11, 1878, eight young African-American men enrolled in the short-lived Alta Vista Agricultural College. They were charged tuition of $130 which included nine months of instruction, board, and one uniform. In 1879, as the institution was struggling to find resources to continue, Governor Oran Roberts suggested closing the college. But Barnas Sears, an agent for the Peabody Fund, persuaded the Sixteenth Texas Legislature to issue charters two normal schools for the training of teachers, one of which would be called Prairie View Normal Institute. The Texas A&M College board met at Hempstead in August 1879, and established thirteen elementary and secondary subjects, and founded the coeducational institution. Women were housed in the plantation house called Kirby Hall (no longer exists), and boys were housed in a combination chapel-dormitory called Pickett Hall. Among the first faculty appointed to the new normal school was E. H. Anderson. In 1882, a strong storm damaged Pickett Hall. This came at the same time as state funds ran out. State Comptroller William M. Brown refused to continue paying the school's debts from the state's university fund, so Governor Roberts had to solicit money from merchants. E. H. Anderson died in 1885, and his brother L. C. Anderson became the principal of Prairie View. A longstanding dispute as to the mission of the school was resolved in 1887 when the legislature added an agricultural and mechanical department, thus returning the college to its original mission. Historian Dr. George Wolfok wrote, Prairie View, A Study In Public Conscience 1962) “Prairie View is an institution—a public institution. But an institution is an empty thing without the beating hearts and yearning souls of mortal men. And down the seventy-five years of Prairie View’s existence, men have lived and dreamed here until every blade of grass and every rock, in that wise primordial way in which the primitive earth knows and cares, has joined the choir invisible to bless their memory. For every man whose foot has touched this hallowed soil, has found a spirit, and has broadened and deepened it until what started out as an ambitionless meandering stream has become a purposeful river upon whose tide, now turbulent, now tranquil, floats the destiny of countless human hopes and dreams.”

In 1945, the name of the institution was changed from Prairie View Normal and Industrial College to Prairie View University, and the school was authorized to offer, "as need arises," all courses offered at the University of Texas. In 1947, the Texas Legislature changed the name to Prairie View A&M College of Texas and provided that "courses be offered in agriculture, the mechanics arts, engineering, and the natural sciences connected therewith, together with any other courses authorized at Prairie View at the time of passage of this act, all of which shall be equivalent to those offered at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas at Bryan." On August 27, 1973, the name of the institution was changed to Prairie View A&M University, and its status as an independent unit of the Texas A&M University System was confirmed.

In 1981, the Texas Legislature acknowledged the University's rich tradition of service and identified various statewide needs which the University should address including the assistance of students of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to realize their full potential, and assistance of small and medium-sized communities and businesses in their growth and development.

In 1983, the Texas Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment to restructure the Permanent University Fund to include Prairie View A&M University as a beneficiary of its proceeds. The Permanent University Fund is a perpetual endowment fund originally established in the Constitution of 1876 for the sole benefit of Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. The 1983 amendment also dedicated the University to enhancement as an "institution of the first class" under the governing board of the Texas A&M University System. The constitutional amendment was approved by the voters on November 6, 1984.

In January 1985, the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System responded to the 1984 Constitutional Amendment by stating its intention that Prairie View A&M University become "an institution nationally recognized in its areas of education and research." The Board also resolved that the University receive its share of the Available University Fund, as previously agreed to by Texas A&M University and the University of Texas.

In October 2000, the Governor of Texas signed the Priority Plan, an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights to make Prairie View A&M University an educational asset accessible by all Texans. The Priority Plan mandates creation of many new educational programs, including graduate degrees in engineering and education, and facilities like the state-of-the-art Don Clark Juvenile Justice and Psychology building. It also requires removing language from the Institutional Mission Statement which might give the impression of excluding any Texan from attending Prairie View A&M University.

Around 2004, Oliver Kitzman, the district attorney of Waller County, attempted to challenge the voting rights of PVAMU students. As a result, the United States Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation about Kitzman. Geoffrey Connor, the Texas Secretary of State, said that PVAMU students, like other university students, have the right to vote for officials in the university's voting districts as long as they are registered to vote there.

Academics
The university offers academic programs through the following administrative units:
 * College of Agriculture and Human Sciences
 * School of Architecture
 * College of Arts and Sciences
 * College of Business
 * College of Education
 * Roy G. Perry College of Engineering
 * College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology
 * College of Nursing

There are currently doctoral programs in Electrical Engineering, Educational Leadership, and Juvenile Justice. A new program for a Ph.D. in nursing is under development.

Demographics
The university enrolls 6,324 undergraduate students and 1,758 graduate students who come from all 50 U.S. states and several countries throughout the world. Currently 56% of the students are female, and 44% are male.

Campus
The university sits on a 1440 acre campus in Prairie View, Texas and is 47.4 mi from the city hall of Houston, Texas.

Student housing
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. University Village has phases I, II, and III. Phase III has an academic standard (3.0 GPA). The first of these apartment buildings was built in 1995.

In 1998 ACC was awarded the contract to develop, build, and manage a student housing property at PVAMU. University College opened in 2000. As of the northern hemisphere 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.

Traditions
Prairie View A&M's traditions are deeply rooted in its heritage as Texas's second oldest (Paul Quinn College was establish in 1872) historically black University. One of the premier traditions is marked by student gatherings at the Abner Davis Memorial and fountain. Abner Davis, a member of the varsity football team, met with an accident in a game with Texas College in Tyler on November 4, 1927. Davis sustained a broken neck in tackling a Texas College player. He tackled low, and the player’s knee struck his head at the base of the neck. Abner was paralyzed from his neck and shoulders down and died after an illness of seven or eight days. Abner’s classmates and the supervisor of the class erected a monument and plaque in his memory in the middle of the campus. Today, students and faculty still gather at the memorial to commemorate important activities on campus.

Honor’s Week is designated for students who have achieved outstanding accomplishments during the school year. Recognition for scholarship, student leadership, citizenship and athletic prowess are among the achievements recognized. The week culminates in a special convocation. Founder’s Day is celebrated annually by the Prairie View A&M University community on March 11. Although the 15th Legislature passed an act to establish the University on Aug. 14, 1876, the University did not open its doors until March 11, 1878. In 2006, PVAMU celebrated its 130-year anniversary. Homecoming. . . a time for welcome and celebration. . . a time to reflect on the traditions and heritage of a great University. . . a time for the return of “Loyal Panthers” to their alma mater to embrace the current University administration, faculty, staff, students, families and friends. The focal points of this week are the football game, homecoming University family. Springfest is held each year during the spring semester after the mid-semester examination period. A variety of cultural and social events are held throughout the week for students, staff and faculty. Highlights of the week’s activities are the Greek step show and “after party.”

Athletics
Prairie View A&M University offers a wide variety of varsity and intramural sports programs. Prairie View A&M University has an outstanding tradition of athletics.

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 of the SWAC in sports since the conference is currently divided by two divisions (West and East). 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
The first football coach at Prairie View was H.B. Hucles, who began in 1924. Before Hucles's arrival at Prairie View, the school played two games without a coach on record: a 1907 7–0 win against a team from Wylie, Texas and a 1920 7–6 loss to Tuskegee University.

Prairie View's most recognized and celebrated coach was William "Billy" Nicks. Nicks was head coach in 1945–47, assistant coach in 1948–51, and head coach again in 1952–65. His record for 17 years was 127-39-8. He led the Panthers to 8 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and 5 black college national championships. Nicks was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Coach Nicks was named the American Football Coaches Association’s recipient of the Trailblazer Award. The award was presented posthumously at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon on Monday, January 7 at the 2008 AFCA Convention in Anaheim, California.

Prairie View is recognized as the first historically Black university to create and play in a post-season bowl game. The Prairie View Bowl was played in Texas between 1928 and 1962.

The Prairie View A & M Football team won Black college national championship titles in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, and 1964 and Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships SWAC in 1933, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1964. and recently in 2009. Notable football players that have achieved success in the National Football League (NFL) are National Football Hall of Fame Inductee Kenny Houston and Otis Taylor, who won a World Championship with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1969. On a small note of significance, Charlie "Choo Choo" Brackins, who played from 1952–1955, was the first HBCU alumnus to play quarterback in the NFL Reginald Gillard who played receiver for the New England Patriots.

The team lost 80 consecutive games in 1989–98, almost doubling Columbia University's 44 straight losses between 1983–1988.

On November 10, 2007, it clinched its first winning season since 1976 with a 30–27 victory over traditional power Jackson State University under coach Henry Frazier, III.

In 1999 the SWAC moved to a new Divisional format with Western Division and Eastern Division Champions to play for the SWAC Championship. On November 14, 2009, it clinched its first SWAC Western Division Championship by defeating Alcorn State. The next weekend would see the Panthers go undefeated in the SWAC by defeating Arkansas Pine Bluff and securing a 8–1 record, their only loss during the season to New Mexico State. They finished the season by winning the SWAC Championship on December 12, defeating Eastern Division Champion Alabama A&M 30-24 in the SWAC Championship Game. They exit the 2009 SWAC football campaign with an unblemished 9-0 SWAC conference record. They were led by their quarterback 6'4' 225 pound, swift footed KJ Black who led all quarterbacks in the SWAC with an outstanding passer effiency rating of 168.1 their SWAC 2nd leading rusher in Donald Babers that averages 5.2 yards per carry.

Cheerleading
Two Prairie View A&M cheerleaders have been paralyzed on school property during practice sessions. The first incident occurred in 2004, leaving a female student paralysed; she died two years later. and resulted in a death. The second incident occurred in 2008; a male cheerleader sustained a spinal cord injury.

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. She was replaced by Toyelle Wilson, who had served as an assistant under Cooper-Dyke for four years.

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

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.

Marching band
The university's official marching band is referred to as the Marching Storm and 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. 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 world-wide 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.

The Marching Storm is joined by the Black Foxes, the university majorette/dance line.
 * Black Foxes

The McFunk B.O.X. is the nickname for the drumline. "The B.O.X.", as they are affectionately called for short, was the first black collegiate showstyle drumline to incorporate a feature in the middle of a halftime show. The B.O.X. made their debut in the fall season of 1989.
 * The McFunk B.O.X.

Fraternities and Sororities
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, special interests, etc. These organizations make up the social, political and economical structure of the university. If an organization does not exist to match the student's interest, students are encouraged to form the organization.