Texas Tech University history

Construction of the college campus began on November 1, 1924.

With an enrollment of 914 students—both men and women—Texas Technological College opened for classes on October 1, 1925.

Graduate instruction did not begin until 1927 within the school of Liberal Arts.

By 1939, the school's enrollment had grown to 3,890.

Other names—University of the Southwest, Texas Technological College and State University, and The Texas University of Art, Science and Technology—were considered, but the Board of Directors chose Texas Tech University, submitting it to the state legislature in 1964.

The School of Law and the College of Education opened in 1967.

On May 29, 1969, the 61st Texas Legislature created the Texas Tech University School of Medicine.

In 1970, Hortense W. Dixon became the first African American student to earn a doctorate from the university.

In 1972 Charles Henry became the first full-time African American faculty member.

His 1975–76 team produced a perfect 32–0 record and won the NCAA championship.

In 1976, Texas Tech University underwent a major expansion with the establishment of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

The Texas Legislature expanded the medical school charter in 1979, creating the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

He drew national attention for throwing a chair across the court during a game in 1985, and he was repeatedly fined for outbursts toward officials and NCAA representatives.

The College of Architecture was founded in 1986.

In 1996, the Board of Regents of Texas Tech University created the Texas Tech University System.

To meet the demands of its increased enrollment and expanding research, the university has invested more than $548 million in new construction since 2000.

In 2003, a third-year student at the Texas Tech School of Law filed suit against the university over its policy on free speech zones, which restricted student speech to a single "free speech gazebo". The following year, a federal judge declared the policy unconstitutional.

Kent Hance, a Texas Tech graduate who had served as United States Representative and as one of the three elected members of the Texas Board which regulates the oil-and-gas industry, assumed the duties of chancellor on December 1, 2006.

On November 6, 2007, the voters of Texas approved an amendment to the Texas Constitution realigning Angelo State University with the Texas Tech University System.

In April 2009, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill to increase state funding for seven public universities.

His victory total was surpassed in 2011 by Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski, a former player of Knight’s at Army.

He articulated his coaching philosophy in The Power of Negative Thinking: An Unconventional Approach to Achieving Positive Results (2013).

The university system's endowment surpassed the $1 billion barrier for the first time in March 2014 at $1.043 billion.

Chancellor Kent Hance reiterated plans for Texas Tech's main campus to reach enrollment of 40,000 students by 2020, with additional 5,000 students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and 10,000 students at Angelo State University.