Angelo State University

About

Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the same year it took on its current name. It offers 50 undergraduate programs and 31 graduate programs. It is the second-largest campus in the Texas Tech University System.

The history of ASU can be traced to 1928, when San Angelo College was established following a municipal election held in 1926. Organized as part of the city school system, for many years, the two-year college occupied a site on North Oakes Street near the commercial center of the city. The voters of Tom Green County in 1945 created a county junior college district and elected the first board of trustees. In 1947, the first building was constructed on the present university site. The university has experienced a rapid transition from a regional junior college to an accredited senior institution of higher learning. Pushed through the legislature by State Senator Dorsey B. Hardeman, a former mayor of San Angelo, the former San Angelo College was transformed into Angelo State College in 1965 by an act of the 58th Session of the Texas State Legislature in 1963. The transfer of authority from the board of trustees of the junior college to the Board of Regents, State Senior Colleges, became effective on September 1, 1965. In May 1967, the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded. Shortly after Hardeman retired from the Texas Senate, the name of the institution was changed to Angelo State University in May 1969.

The graduate program was initiated in 1970 with the start of the university's College of Graduate Studies. During a major realignment of the Texas University systems, Angelo State University was designated as a member of the Texas State University System in 1975, along with Sam Houston State University, Southwest Texas State University, and Sul Ross State University, when the 64th Texas Legislature changed the name of the governing board to Board of Regents, Texas State University System. In the fall of 2007, the Alumni Association voted to request a move to the Texas Tech University System from the Texas State University System. The merger received widespread support in San Angelo and Lubbock, where Texas Tech University is located. The bill was approved, signed by Gov. Rick Perry, and voted into the Texas Constitution by the electorate, making Angelo State University accountable to the Texas Tech System Board of Regents in late 2007. The first doctoral program, the doctorate of physical therapy through the College of Nursing and Allied Health, was offered in 2009. Angelo State completed its first capital campaign in 2013, raising $35 million for facility construction, scholarships, and academic support. After reaching the original goal of $25 million in the first 15 months of the campaign, the goal was raised to $35 million, which was reached in June 2013.

Angelo State's students come from all across Texas with an additional 46 states and 22 other countries also represented in the university's total enrollment. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Of the over 3,000 universities nationwide, Angelo State University ranked 85th in endowment funds per student. The interest earned from the endowment goes towards scholarships and academic support. Angelo State University offers 35 minor programs, 50 bachelor's, 31 master's, and one doctoral degree program. The graduate school at Angelo State was authorized by the Board of Regents, State Senior Colleges, on May 15, 1970, and approved by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on October 19, 1970. In 2009, the university was authorized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer doctoral level degrees, starting with a doctorate in physical therapy. Angelo State University is divided into six colleges, including the Norris-Vincent College of Business, College of Education, College of Arts and Humanities, Archer College of Health and Human Services, College of Science and Engineering, and College of Graduate Studies and Research.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.