Texas Southern University


Texas Southern University is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive HBCUs in the nation with over 10,000 students enrolled and over 100 academic programs. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Texas Southern University is an important institution in Houston's Third Ward. Dr. Alvia Wardlaw of wrote that the university serves as "the cultural and community center of" the Third Ward area where it is located, in addition to being its university. The university also serves as a notable economic resource for Greater Houston, contributing over $500 million to the region's gross sales and being directly and indirectly responsible for over 3,000 jobs.
Texas Southern University intercollegiate sports teams, the Tigers, compete in NCAA Division I and the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The university recruits nationwide for its Ocean of Soul marching band.

History

On March 7, 1927, the Houston Independent School District board resolved to establish junior colleges for each race, as the state was racially segregated in all public facilities. The resolution created Houston Junior College, which later became the University of Houston, and Houston Colored Junior College, which first held classes at Jack Yates High School during the evenings. The school's name was later changed to Houston College for Negroes in 1934.
In February 1946, Heman Marion Sweatt, an African American man, applied to the University of Texas School of Law. He was denied admission because of race, and subsequently filed suit in Sweatt v. Painter. The state had no law school for African Americans. In an attempt to not integrate University of Texas Law School, the state of Texas made several offers to Heman Marion Sweatt to keep him from going to court. They offered to establish the Texas State University of Negroes which would include a law school. Some black leaders welcomed the idea of having another state supported university in Texas, while many others felt as though the university was created to solely avoid the integration of the University of Texas, as well as other white institutions. In the end, they did not grant Sweatt a writ of mandamus to attend the University of Texas, the trial court granted a continuance for six months to allow the state time to create a law school for blacks.
As a result, the Fiftieth Texas Legislature passed Texas Senate Bill 140 on March 3, 1947, authorizing and funding the creation of Texas State University for Negroes as the first state university to be located in Houston. The school was established to serve African Americans in Texas and offer them fields of study comparable to those available to white Texans. The state took over the Houston Independent School District -run Houston College for Negroes as a basis for the new university. Houston College moved to the present site, which was donated by Hugh Roy Cullen. It had one permanent building and an existing faculty and students. The new university was charged with teaching "pharmacy, dentistry, arts and sciences, journalism, education, literature, law, medicine and other professional courses." The legislature stipulated that "these courses shall be equivalent to those offered at other institutions of this type supported by the State of Texas."
Given the differences in facilities and intangibles, such as the distance of the new school from Austin, the University of Texas School of Law, and other law students, the United States Supreme Court ruled the new facility did not satisfy "separate but equal" provisions. It ruled that African Americans must also be admitted to the University of Texas Law School at Austin. See Sweatt v. Painter.
In March 1960, Texas Southern University students organized Houston's first sit-in at the Weingarten's lunch counter located at 4110 Almeda. The success of their efforts inspired more sit-ins throughout the city, which, within months, led to the desegregation of many of Houston's public establishments. Today, a historical marker commissioned by the Texas Historical Commission stands on the property of the first sit-in to commemorate the courageous acts of those TSU students. That property is now a U.S. Post Office. TSU journalism professor Serbino Sandifer-Walker worked for nearly two years with the Texas Historical Commission, the original students who led the march, and many other stakeholders, to have the historic marker designated on March 4, 2010, the fiftieth anniversary of that sit-in.
On May 17, 1967, it was reported that students at TSU rioted on campus. When officers responded thousands of shots were fired and there were injuries on both sides including a death of a police officer. Nearly 500 students were arrested. Although media sources reported this as a riot, there were no reports of looting, destruction of property, or resistance of any arrest. Furthermore, the reports failed to mention the prior invasion of police officers on campus, or the reports of students getting roughed up on campus. The police raid caused over $10,000 of damage and it was reported over 3,000 shots were fired into the Lanier dormitory. There was little coverage that, the five students whom were charged with conspiracy and incitement of riot were all exonerated due to lack of evidence, or that the police officer died not from student fire, but the ricochet of Houston Police Department bullets.
In 2019, a Democratic presidential debate took place on September 12 of 2019 in TSU's Health and Physical Education Arena.
The university drew national attention in early 2020 when the Governor of Texas appointed board of trustees targeted the university's sitting president and changed its bylaws to give the board the power to remove anyone employed by the university. The board first suspended and then fired president Austin Lane, alleging that he failed to inform them about allegations of fraud committed by a former assistant dean at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Lane disputed the allegations. Just prior to removing Lane, the board also changed its bylaws to allow it to "approve the termination of any position" at the university, a change that drew condemnation from several university governance experts as inappropriate micromanagement. In February 2020, the board of trustees publicly agreed there was no wrong doing on the part of Lane and paid him nearly $900,000 in the buyout of his contract. A new president will be named in 2020. In February 2020, one month prior to the visit of a site visit team representing the university's regional accreditor, the board partially repealed the new bylaws that allowed them to fire any university employee.

Campus

The university has more than 45 buildings on a urban gated campus centrally located in Houston. The campus is three miles southeast of Downtown Houston and six miles east of Uptown Houston. TSU is recognized as a Tree Campus USA school for its commitment to preserving and increasing campus trees.
The school's first structure was the Thornton B. Fairchild Building, built 1947–1948 and housing administration and classroom space. Temporary buildings served as faculty housing during that time. The Mack H. Hannah hall, designed by Lamar Q. Cato and opened in 1950, was the second building. In the late 1950s many more buildings opened, including classroom, dormitory, and student union facilities.

Notable buildings

University Museum

Completed in 2000, the exhibition space displays a variety of historical and contemporary art. The museum is the permanent home of the Web of Life, a twenty-six-foot mural by world-renowned artist Biggers, founding chairman of the TSU art department.

Mack H. Hannah Hall

Multiple TSU student-created murals are present in Hannah Hall.
The building had two 1971 murals by Harvey Johnson, a longtime TSU art instructor, about African influences in U.S. culture and mothers: Mothers of “the Fathers and the Son” and Dere’s a “Han Writin on de Wall”. He was educated by the founder of the TSU art school, Dr. John T. Biggers. It, as part of the Black Power movement, was Johnson's senior project, as the university at the time allowed its students to create murals on campus property. African American Vernacular English was a feature of the titles.
In 2008 incoming TSU president John Rudley had the murals painted over with white paint, stating that they were not high quality enough. A spokesperson initially stated that the painting over was an error but Rudley later stated it was intentional. The director of the university museum, Alvia J. Wardlaw, who teaches art history, expressed disagreement with the decision. The Houston Chronicle criticized the removal in an editorial. Johnson himself expressed disappointment with the removal. Rudley later appropriated funds for possible restoration of memorials due to the negative reception.

Leonard H.O. Spearman Technology

In 2014, TSU unveiled a $31 million, 108,000-square-foot, four-story structure named after the school's fifth president. In addition to having 35 labs, the facility is home to a Tier 1 University Transportation Center, the Center for Transportation Training and Research, and the National Science Foundation Center for Research on Complex Networks. The departments of Engineering, Transportation Studies, Computer Science, Industrial Technology, Physics, and Aviation Science and Technology academic programs are housed in the building. TSU is the only four-year state supported university in Texas to offer a Pilot Ground School course and the first HBCU to implement a Maritime Transportation degree program.

Jesse H. Jones School of Business

Jesse H. Jones School of Business is located in a three-story, 76,000-square-foot building completed in 1998 and accommodates 1,600 students in undergraduate and graduate studies. The Jesse H. Jones School of Business is the first business school at a HBCU to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and been named one of the "Best Business Schools" by the Princeton Review. JHJ School of Business is consistently one of the highest ranked business schools from a public HBCU in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

College of Education

The College of Education building consists of the Department of Counseling, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Educational Administration & Foundations, and the Department of Health and Kinesiology. The college has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 in undergraduate and graduate studies. In 2014, the National Council on Teacher Quality ranked TSU's College of Education 56th in the nation for best secondary education programs and gave the college a "top-ranked" distinction.

Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs

An extensive set of curricular offerings is provided through the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School Of Public Affairs, which offers courses in Administration of Justice, Political Science, Public Affairs, Military Science, and Urban Planning & Environmental Policy on the undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral level. The school sits in an 82,000-square-foot facility completed in 2008.

TSU Justice Center

On January 22, 2018, the university published a new establishment Center for Justice Research in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. The center is intended to create innovative solutions to criminal justice alteration and address challenges in America's criminal justice system. The award is granted by Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries.

TSU Science Center

The TSU Science Center building is home to several scholastic programs, such as the Houston Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Program and the Thomas Freeman Honors College. It also houses several research programs, such as the NASA University Research Center for Bio-Nanotechnology and Environmental Research, Maritime Transportation Studies and Research, as well as the STEM research program. TSU's NASA University Research Center addresses human health concerns related to manned exploration of space. Programs such as TSU's NASA University Research Center and participation in The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Preparation Program support undergraduate, graduate and faculty development while helping to increase the number of US citizens receiving degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields. The science center also houses the only doctoral degree program in environmental toxicology in Southeast Texas.

Spurgeon N. Gray Hall (COPHS)

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is housed in the Spurgeon N. Gray Hall. COPHS has approximately 800 students. The 2016 pharmacy graduates had a 90% first-attempt pass rate on the NAPLEX which was above the national average, third highest in Texas, and highest among HBCUs. TSU is one of only two public HBCUs in the United States with an accredited and comprehensive pharmacy program. COPHS is the first and only in Houston to offer a Masters of Science in Health Care Administration degree.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law

The Thurgood Marshall School of Law is one of six public law schools in Texas and ranks as one of the most diverse law schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. TMSL is accredited by the American Bar Association and a member-school of The Association of American Law Schools. Enrollment is at approximately 600 students.
The Texas College for Negroes was initially housed in Austin, Texas, but was eventually transferred to Texas Southern University's campus. The creation of the Law School did not have the support of Thurgood Marshall or the NAACP. However, in 1976 now U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, agreed to name formally the "Law School of Texas Southern University," the "Thurgood Marshall School of Law."

Sterling Student Life Center

The Ernest S. Sterling Student Life Center provides cultural, social, recreational, educational and religious programs and services for students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests. The center is home to the TSU Bookstore, TSU cheerleaders, bowling alley, game room, Student Government Association, University Program Council, Herald newspaper, Tiger yearbook, cafeteria, Office of Campus Organizations, Student Activities, administrative offices and Office of Events.

Granville M. Sawyer Auditorium

Renovated in 2014, the Sawyer Auditorium is Texas Southern University's historical landmark. Sawyer Auditorium features split-level seating for up to 1,800 guests for hosting university-sponsored events. It also has an adjacent drama playhouse.

Newman Center

Constructed in 1969, the Newman Center is a welcoming faith community that serves all students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Texas Southern University. As a welcoming faith community, it offers spiritual guidance, fellowship, and a clean and functional facility where students may interact with peers, study, and pray.

Tiger Walk

The Tiger Walk is the maroon and gray paved central street on campus where most of TSU outdoor social activities are held and a popular destination for students to relax or socialize. Tiger Walk North extension was completed in 2012 along the closed Tierwester Street in front of the School of Public Affairs building.

Residential life

The school has traditional and apartment-style residence halls on campus.
operates public transportation services, including buses and the METRORail tram service, which serve the university. The METRORail Purple Line station serving the university is Robertson Stadium/UH/TSU station.
In June 2019 Texas Southern University became home to the region’s first Shared Autonomous Shuttle in conjunction with a partnership between METRO, TSU and the Houston-Galveston Area Council. The shuttle can carry up to 15 passengers and travels using a pre-programmed route, equipped with a sensor and intelligent vehicle system to detect obstacles and avoid collisions.

Academics

Texas Southern University offers over 100 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a "doctoral university with higher research activity" and currently comprises 11 schools and colleges along with several scholastic and research programs.
Texas Southern University's main library is the Library Learning Center. The library is home to an African Art Gallery, The Heartman Collection, and many types of valuable archives.
In 2017, TSU announced plans to construct a $43 million brand new main library. The new library is a six-story, 137,000-square-foot building completed in summer 2019.
The Thurgood Marshall School of Law building also houses an extensive library.

Demographics

, the student body is 76% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% International, 3% White, and 5% other. Approximately 86% of the student body is from Texas; the top three counties of origin for in-state students are Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Dallas County. The top three state origins for out-of-state students are California, Louisiana, and Georgia, and the top three country origins of international students are Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and China. The student body is 42% male and 58% female. The student-to-faculty ratio is 19 to 1.

Student life

Some of TSU's campus organizations include the TSU Cheerleaders, Debate Team, Psi Chi Honor Society, all nine organizations of the National Panhellenic Council, Living Testimony Gospel Ministry, TSU Dance Company, HER TSU,Women of GOLD,CSL, Boys to Men, Campus PALS, Collegiate 100, Hispanic Student Association, African Student Association, California Club, Midwest Club, Louisiana Club, Political Science Club, National Society of Black Engineers, Pre-Law Society, Pre-Alumni Association, University Program Council, and Student Government Association.

Traditions

There are several traditions established on the campus of Texas Southern University. Some of the most well-known ones are electing a Mister and Miss TSU and Royal Court, Labor Day Classic festivities, Tiger Day/Tigre Dia, TSU founding day celebration, Springfest week, the TSU Shuffle, and homecoming week.

Debate team

The Texas Southern debate team was founded by professor and coach Thomas Freeman in 1949. Freeman led the team for more than 60 years as the team rose to national prominence, according to his obituary in the New York Times. He is credited for training notable leaders such as former U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. while serving as a visiting professor at Morehouse College. He retired in 2017 and died in June 6, 2020.

Ocean of Soul

Texas Southern's marching band the Ocean of Soul has won numerous awards and performed at Super Bowls, The Stellar Awards, various parades, NBA and Houston Texans games. The 200-plus-member band alumni include Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum. The Ocean of Soul is complemented by The Motion of The Ocean, a female dance team that has been featured on America's Best Dance Crew.

Athletics

Texas Southern sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Texas Southern is part of the Western Division in SWAC divisional sports.
Men's varsity sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, and track and field. Women's varsity sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, dance, Cheer, track and field, and volleyball.
Texas Southern's most well-known rivals are Prairie View A&M, Southern, Grambling State, and Jackson State.

Tiger and Lady Tiger basketball

Tiger football

Tiger baseball

The Texas Southern Baseball team competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and plays home games at MacGregor Park. Texas Southern Baseball program for a long time has dominated the SWAC. The Tigers have been back-to-back conference champions. In the past the tigers have also won in 2004, 2008, and 2015. Micheal Robertson is currently the head coach for the baseball program. Last year was the first time the Tigers have one the western division.

Tiger Volleyball

Texas Southern Volleyball competes at the HP&E Arena. Texas Southern University Volleyball won their first SWAC ring in 1989 against Southern University. Then in 1990 they returned with another ring against Prairie View. The last SWAC championship Lady Tiger Volleyball received was in 1994 against Prairie View.

Tiger Softball

Texas Southern Softball team competes at Memorial Park in Houston,Tx. The lady tigers softball team won their first and second SWAC conference championship back to back years in 2014 & 2015. The lady tigers then went on to win their third SWAC championship in 2017. The lady tigers have also won the western division championship of the conference nine consecutive years. The lady tigers are coached by Worley Barker and assisted by Jasmin Hutchinson

KTSU 90.9 FM

In addition to serving as a training unit for TSU students, the station was established to serve the university at the program level as well as the community by presenting various types of TSU athletics, educational, cultural and social programs to a primarily listening area within a radius of the university. A 1973 survey indicated that radio was generally the preferred source of information of African-Americans, particularly those with less than a high school education. By the late 1970s, the station had secured an ample audience and programming increased in scope. At the same time, the station increased its power range from 10 watts to 18,500 watts. According to the Arbitron Rating Service, KTSU has an audience of 244,700 listeners and is number one overall of Houston and Galveston stations for its Sunday format and its Friday format of Golden Oldies.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty