Prairie View A&M University history

The A&M College of Texas for Colored Youths opened at Prairie View, Texas on March 11, 1878.

The University’s original curriculum was designated by the Texas Legislature in 1879 to be that of a “Normal School” for the preparation and training of teachers.

The school’s original curriculum was the training of teachers, but in 1887 it expanded to include agriculture, nursing, arts and sciences, and mechanical arts.

In 1932, the college initiated graduate programs in agricultural economics, rural education, agricultural education, school administration and supervision, and rural sociology.

In 1972, the legislature changed the name again to Prairie View A&M University and strengthened the bond with the University of Texas, making it an independent unit of the Texas A&M University System.

In 1983, the Texas Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment to restructure the Permanent University Fund (PUF) to include Prairie View A&M University as a beneficiary of its proceeds.

The university was designated in a 1984 amendment to the Texas Constitution as an “institution of the first class.” It is dedicated to achieving excellence and relevance in teaching, research and service.

In 2000, the Governor of Texas signed the Priority Plan, an agreement with the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights to establish Prairie View A&M University as an educational asset accessible by all Texans.

In December 2020, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $50 million to Prairie View A&M. The donation is the largest single gift in its history and the largest ever to a HBCU.