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Texas Christian University
MottoDisciplina est Facultas
Motto in EnglishKnowledge is Power
TypePrivate
Established1869
AffiliationChristian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Endowment$1.2 billion (as of December 31, 2010)
ChancellorDr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr.
Academic staff523(full-time)
Students9,142
LocationFort Worth, Texas, United States
CampusUrban, 325 acres (1.32 km) (273 acres developed)
NicknameHorned Frogs
Websitehttp://www.tcu.edu

Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Its mascot is the "horned frog."

TCU enrolls 9,142 students, 7,853 of which are undergraduates.

History

Origins in Fort Worth, 1869-1873

Statue of TCU founders Addison and Randolph Clark.

Texas Christian University was founded by East Texas brothers Addison & Randolph Clark, together with the support of their father Joseph A. Clark. The Clarks were scholar-preacher/teachers associated with the Restoration Movement. These early leaders of the Restoration Movement were the spiritual ancestors of the modern Disciples of Christ, as well as major proponents of education.

Following their return from service in the Civil War, brothers Addison and Randolph established a children's preparatory school in Fort Worth. This school, known as the Male & Female Seminary of Fort Worth, operated from 1869 to 1874. Both Clarks nourished a vision for an institution of higher education that would be Christian in character, but non-sectarian in spirit and intellectually open-minded. They purchased five blocks of land in downtown Fort Worth in 1869 for that purpose.

But from 1867–1872, the character of Fort Worth changed substantially due to the commercial influence of the Chisholm Trail, the principal route for moving Texas cattle to the Kansas railheads. A huge influx of cattle, men, and money transformed the sleepy frontier village into a booming, brawling cowtown. The area around the property purchased by the Clarks for their college soon became the town's vice district, an unrelieved stretch of saloons, gambling halls, dance parlors, and bawdy houses catering to the rough tastes of the Chisholm Trail cowboys. Its rough and rowdy reputation had, by 1872, acquired it the nickname of "Hell's Half Acre" (the heart of which is today occupied by the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Fort Worth Water Gardens).

The Clarks feared that this negative environment undermined the fledgling university's mission. They began to look for an alternative site to establish their college, and they found it at Thorp Spring, a small community and stagecoach stop 40 miles (60 km) to the southwest, near the frontier of Comanche and Kiowa territory. It was perhaps a marker of their Campbellite sensibilities that the Clarks feared the Indians less than they feared the corrupting influence of "the Acre."

Move to Thorp Spring, 1873-1895

Thorp Spring, Texas, campus.

In 1873 the Clark brothers moved South and founded AddRan Male & Female College. TCU recognizes 1873 as its founding year, as it continues to preserve the original college through the AddRan College of Liberal Arts.

AddRan College (TCU) was one of the first coeducational institutions of higher education west of the Mississippi River, and the very first in Texas — a progressive step at a time when only 15% of the national college enrollment was female and almost all were enrolled at women's colleges.

At Thorp Spring the fledgling university expanded quickly. The inaugural enrollment in Fall 1873 was 13 students, though this number rose to 123 by the end of the first term. Shortly thereafter, annual enrollment ranged from 200 to 400. At one time more than 100 counties of Texas were represented in the student body. The Clark brothers also recruited prestigious professors from all over the South to join them at Thorp Spring. The standards of the school and the efficiency of its work came to be recognized throughout the United States, and many graduates were welcomed at universities throughout the country.

In 1889 AddRan College formed an official partnership with what would become the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This relationship with the church was a partnership of heritage and values, though the church never enjoyed any administrative role at TCU. Later that year the Clark brothers handed over all land, buildings, and assets and allowed the growing university to continue as a private institution; their only compensation was a request that their descendants should have free tuition (though this stipulation was never enforced).

In keeping with the transition, in 1889 the school was renamed AddRan Christian University, though by this time it had quite outgrown itself.

Move to Waco, 1895-1910

The need for a larger population and transportation base prompted the university to relocate to Waco from 1895 to 1910. The institution was renamed Texas Christian University in 1902, though almost immediately it was dubbed with the unofficial moniker by which it is most popularly known today: TCU. It was during this brief, 15-year sojourn in Waco that TCU in 1896 entered the ranks of intercollegiate football and adopted its school colors of purple and white, as well as its distinctive Horned Frog mascot.

Return to Fort Worth, 1910-present

Early image of the TCU campus in Fort Worth.

Although at the time Waco was seen as the new permanent home of TCU, in 1910 a fire of unknown origin destroyed the university's Main Administration building. A rebuilding project was planned, but before reconstruction could begin a group of enterprising Fort Worth businessmen offered the university $200,000 in rebuilding money (about $4.6 million in 2011 currency) and a 50-acre (200,000 m) campus as an inducement to return to Fort Worth. This move brought TCU home to the source of its institutional roots and completed its 40-year transition from a frontier college to an urban university.

The TCU campus at its present location in Fort Worth in 1910-1911 consisted of four buildings: Clark Hall and Goode Hall, the men's dormitories; Jarvis Hall, the women's dormitory; and the Main Administration building (now Reed Hall). Two of these four original buildings still remain: Reed Hall (originally the Main Administration building) and Jarvis Hall (originally a women's dormitory, but since renovated as an administrative building). Goode Hall was demolished in 1958 and replaced by the new Clark Hall, originally a men's dormitory, but renovated in 2008 as a coed residence hall. The original Clark Hall was demolished in 1959 and replaced by Sadler Hall, the current main administration building.

TCU students inside a dorm room at Jarvis Hall.

The university received its first charitable endowment in 1923, from a very unexpected source. Mary Couts Burnett was the recent widow of legendary rancher, banker, and oilman Samuel Burk Burnett, but her marriage had not been pleasant. Married in 1892, Mary Couts came to believe that her husband was trying to kill her and she sought a divorce. Instead, Burk Burnett had his wife committed to an asylum, where she spent more than 10 years trying to secure her freedom. With the help of her physician she eventually succeeded and was released in 1922, only to find that her husband had recently died and left her nothing. She challenged the will and eventually secured half of her late husband's estate ($4 million, worth about $52 million in 2011 currency), but the long years had taken a toll on Mary and it was believed she would not live much longer. In her will, she left her entire estate, including a half-interest in the gigantic 6666 ("Four Sixes") Ranch, to TCU in 1923. Mary died in 1924, and about 100 female students from TCU attended her funeral in honor of her gift. She lived long enough to see construction begin on the TCU building that today bears her name, the Mary Couts Burnett Library.

The Mary Couts Burnett Library was built on top of the school's first athletic field, Clark Field. This opened the door for another addition to the TCU campus. Since their first season of play in 1896, the TCU football team had gained increasing attention and success every year and joined the Southwest Conference in 1923. In 1928 the school received a generous gift from local newspaper magnate and philanthropist Amon G. Carter, and in 1930 the school opened Amon G. Carter Stadium, where the TCU football team still plays.

Although today TCU is landscaped with abundant oak trees and flowerbeds, the original campus existed on a wide, exposed prairie without any trees to be found. Students often complained of the intense heat and the tall, persistent prairie grass.

Campus

Jarvis Hall

TCU's campus sits on 272 acres (1.10 km) of developed campus (325 acres total) and is located just three miles (8 km) from downtown Fort Worth.

The TCU campus is roughly divided into three areas: a residential area, an academic area, and Worth Hills. The two main areas of campus, the residential and academic areas, are separated by University Drive, an oak-lined street which bisects the campus. Residence halls, the Student Union, and the Campus Commons are all located to the West of University Drive, while the library, chapel, and most academic buildings are located to the East of University Drive. All of TCU's surrounding streets are lined by live oaks.

A third area of campus, known as Worth Hills, lies to the west across Stadium Drive and adjacent the football stadium. Worth Hills is home to all of the university's fraternity and sorority houses, though plans to move all Greek housing to a new location have been underway for several years.

Roughly two-thirds of TCU undergraduate students live on campus. Housing is divided among 13 residence halls and several on-campus apartment complexes. Students are required to live in an on-campus residence hall, most of which are co-ed, for at least their Freshman and Sophomore years, though many students choose to remain on-campus for their entire time at TCU.

Brown-Lupton University Union

The neo-classical beaux-arts architecture at TCU incorporates features consistent with much of the Art Deco-influenced architecture of older buildings throughout Fort Worth. Most of the buildings at TCU are constructed with a specially blended golden brick tabbed by brick suppliers as "TCU buff." Nearly all of the buildings feature red-tile roofs, while the oldest buildings on campus, including Jarvis Hall, Sadler Hall, and the Bailey Building, are supported by columns of various styles.

A notable exception to this rule is Robert Carr Chapel, which was the first building on campus to be constructed of bricks other than TCU buff. The chapel is built of a distinctive red brick, a deviation that caused alumni to protest when the building opened in 1953. The steeple of Robert Carr Chapel is officially the highest point on the TCU campus; according to the University bylaws, no buildings can be at a higher elevation than the steeple. Several TCU buildings are taller than Carr Chapel (such as the football stadium) but happen to sit at lower elevations. This preserves the chapel steeple as the highest point on campus.

TCU is home to the Starpoint School, a laboratory school for students with differences in grades 1-6. Starpoint's goal is to develop advanced educational techniques for helping students with learning disabilities. KinderFrogs School, an early-intervention laboratory pre-school for children with Down syndrome, is housed in the same building as Starpoint. TCU is the only university in the nation with two on-campus laboratory schools in special education. The laboratory schools, both programs of the College of Education, are located near Sherley Hall and Colby Hall.

Since 2006, much of the campus has been under construction and many buildings have been either renovated or replaced. The old Student Center was demolished in 2008 and replaced with Scharbauer Hall, which opened in 2010 and houses the bulk of AddRan College's offices and classrooms. Construction is also currently underway to renovate the dance building, and a new academic building for Brite Divinity School is currently being erected behind the Religion Complex. A major renovation of the library and a new residence hall are also planned. The seemingly perpetual renovation process has led some students and faculty to refer to TCU as "Texas Construction University."

Academic Profile

Academic rankings
National
Forbes84
U.S. News & World Report97
Washington Monthly172
Veteran's Plaza

TCU is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

TCU is classified by U.S. News and World Report as a Tier 1 University and a Doctoral/Research university by the Carnegie Foundation. The Carnegie Commission lists TCU's undergraduate profile as "More Selective," its highest ranking.

In 2011 TCU received more than 19,000 applications for about 1,500-1,800 admission slots. The university's 2011 acceptance rate was 37 percent.

Although a Doctoral/Research institution, the university remains committed to its liberal arts roots. All undergraduate students are required to show competence in the humanities, fine arts, math, science, and the social sciences, with particular emphasis placed on developing writing, critical thinking, and communication skills.

The university offers 118 undergraduate majors, 56 master's programs, and 21 doctoral programs. Among the university's most popular majors are Business, which accounts for roughly 25% of TCU undergraduates, and Journalism/Strategic Communications, which accounts for roughly 20% of TCU undergraduates. Nursing and Education are also popular majors, and many students choose to major in more than one field.

The Neeley School of Business is among the nation's most respected business schools. The Neeley School was recently ranked as the No. 30 best undergraduate business school in the country by Bloomberg BusinessWeek]. TCU is also home to the top pre-medicine program in Texas, as well as among the best in the nation. As of 2005, TCU is also developing a growing reputation in the psychology of child development through its Institute of Child Development, which recently received a private grant of $6 million.

TCU has always been an educational partner to the US military and serves host to reserve officer training corps (ROTC) programs for two different service branches, the US Air Force ROTC's Detachment 845 "Flying Frogs" and the US Army ROTC's "Horned Frog Batallion". Each year, approximately 3% of TCU's graduating seniors go on to serve as commissioned officers in the US armed forces.

During World War II, TCU was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.

Student body

Demographics of the TCU student body
Undergraduate Texas U.S. Census
Black 5% 12.0% 12.9%
Asian 2.5% 3.6% 4.6%
White 76% 46.7% 65.1%
Hispanic 7% 36.9% 15.8%
Other 9.5% N/A N/A

The student population at TCU in 2010-2011 was 9,142, with 7,853 undergraduates and 1,289 graduate students. Women make up about 57% of the student population, while men make up about 43%.

The schools of Nursing, Education, and Advertising-Public Relations tend to be the majors that attract the most women, while Business, Political Science, and liberal arts majors are more balanced. A few areas of study at TCU, such as Engineering, are typically dominated by men, though even in those areas the percentage of female students tends to be higher than those of other comparable universities.

TCU is home to students from a wide spectrum of beliefs and ethnicities. The student population is predominantly white, but the minority population has seen increased rates over the past few years, especially for Hispanic and Latin students. The school has also tried to encourage more minority students to enroll by hosting "Black Senior Weekend," as well as a "Hispanic Senior Experience."

TCU also enrolls a high percentage of transfer students. Roughly 20 percent of TCU's annual incoming undergraduate class consists of transfer students.

The school experienced a record number of applicants in 2011, when over 19,000 students applied (a 5,000-student increase from 2010). The applicant pool also set a record with 60% applicants out-of-staters. (Usually 1/3 of applicants are from out-of-state.) Only roughly 10% of these applicants were enrolled, with a 36% acceptance rate. While heightened national recognition due to TCU's victory in the Rose Bowl is one contributing factor, the school has experienced a steady growth for some time. In 2000, only 4,500 students applied.

Institutions

  • Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
  • Schieffer School of Journalism
  • College of Science & Engineering
  • John V. Roach Honors College
  • School of Ranch Management

Student life

Sadler Hall

On-Campus Organizations and Events

TCU sponsors over 200 official student organizations including Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, the Gay-Straight Alliance, Invisible Children and others. Students may also compete in intramural sports including basketball and shuffleboard, or join various other sport-hobby groups, such as the TCU Quidditch League.

Many students involve themselves in various campus ministries, such as Disciples on Campus, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) student group. Other groups include Ignite, a nondenominational campus ministry; Catholic Community, a large and active group; TCU Wesley, a Presbyterian group; and the Campus Crusade for Christ, known as CRU. Most religious groups on campus are Christian-based, although TCU also sponsors Hillel, a Jewish student group, and the Muslim Student Association (MSA). Additionally, each year TCU Housing and Residential Life allows students to apply to live in the Interfaith Living Learning Community (LLC), in which the residents spend the year living alongside neighbors of various religious beliefs.

At the beginning of each fall semester, TCU's student government holds a large concert on the Campus Commons. In 2008, TCU celebrated completion of the Brown-Lupton Union by hosting popular country artist Pat Green. In Spring of 2009, it held a concert by One Republic following a football victory over Texas State. Lady Antebellum performed in 2010, and The Fray will perform in 2011. These fall concerts are free to all students.

Off-Campus Attractions

TCU has a small drag located along University and Berry streets, which feature a number of popular venues within walking distance of the campus. Fuzzy's Tacos, Perotti's Pizza, and Dutch's Hamburgers (named after longtime TCU football coach Dutch Meyer) are favorite student venues for lunch and dinner. Popular bars within walking distance include The Pub and The Aardvark, the latter of which hosts live music performances Thursday through Saturday. The nearby coffee shop, Stay Wired, is also popular among students for its rotating exhibits of local artists, its computer repair and technology services, and the open-mic night it hosts on Thursdays. Stay Wired is also known for staying open 24/7 during finals week.

Off campus, TCU is located a half-mile south of the Fort Worth Zoo and the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. The Fort Worth Cultural District is also located just two miles down University Drive, and holds the Southwest's largest museum & arts campus. This campus includes six museums including three important art galleries: the Amon Carter Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Also located in this district are three performance theaters: the Scott, the Sanders and Casa Manana. Students can visit downtown Fort Worth and the famous Sundance Square, only three miles from campus, for entertainment. The historic Fort Worth Stockyards are also within easy driving distance, and many students visit Billy Bob's Honky Tonk on Thursday nights for country music and dancing.

Student media

The Schieffer School of Journalism circulates a number of student-run publications:

  • The Daily Skiff, published since 1902, is TCU's student newspaper. Its circulation is 6,000.
  • Image Magazine is TCU's student magazine, published once a semester.
  • The Horned Frog is the school yearbook.
  • TCU broadcasts its own radio station, KTCU-FM 88.7, "The Choice." KTCU can be heard throughout much of Dallas/Fort Worth, and offers programming which includes music, talk, and live broadcasts Horned Frog football, basketball, and baseball games.

Other student-run media include:

  • eleven40seven is TCU’s student-run, undergraduate journal of the arts. Originally started by the Bryson Literary Society in 2005, the journal now operates independently, run by an undergraduate staff and one faculty advisor. The journal is published biannually.
  • The Skiffler is an independent satire newspaper begun by TCU students in 2010 which parodies the Daily Skiff. Since it began publishing online The Skiffler has developed a popular following on the TCU campus, though contributors to The Skiffler remain mostly anonymous. Previously, the satirical paper on campus was "The Sniff", which died off in the early 2000's.

Greek life

Texas Christian University boasts a robust Greek life, including the following 10 Inter-Fraternity Council fraternities and 11 National Panhellenic Conference sororities:

Fraternities Sororities
Kappa Sigma Alpha Chi Omega
Delta Tau Delta Alpha Delta Pi
Lambda Chi Alpha Chi Omega
Phi Gamma Delta Delta Delta Delta
Phi Kappa Sigma Delta Gamma
Phi Delta Theta Gamma Phi Beta
Pi Kappa Phi Kappa Alpha Theta
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Chi Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Kappa
Beta Theta Pi Zeta Tau Alpha

TCU also sponsors the following societies:

TCU has most recently added Beta Theta Pi as it's newest fraternity, which started as a colony in Fall of 2011.

Sustainability

TCU has strived for a greener campus by launching the “Think Purple, Live Green” Campaign. So far, the campaign has been moderately successful and has had over 1800 signatories to the “TCU Live Green Pledge." Incentives have been offered to students that find innovative ways to live more sustainably on campus, and the university is also converting some of its lighting to low-flow fixtures.

Some faculty members also run a "Purple Bike" program, which allows students to rent purple bicycles free of charge, to be used instead of cars.

Athletics

Main article: TCU Horned Frogs
The University Rec Center

TCU Fight Song

We'll raise a song, both loud and long

To cheer our team to victory

For TCU, so tried and true

We pledge eternal loyalty!

Rah Rah TCU, Rah Rah TCU!

Fight on boys, fight with all your might

Roll up the scores for TCU

Hail white and purple flag

Whose heroes never lag

Horned Frog, we're all for you!

TCU competes in NCAA athletics as a member of the Division I Mountain West Conference. For most of its history, TCU was a long-time member of the now defunct Southwest Conference. It is speculated that TCU will move to the Big 12 Conference in all sports on July 1, 2012.

TCU's varsity sports have a long and storied history of excellence, boasting eight men's and ten women's varsity squads. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming & diving, track & field, cross country and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, volleyball, golf, swimming & diving, cross country, track & field, soccer, rifle, equestrian, and tennis.

In recent years the university has made significant upgrades to its athletics facilities, including construction of the $13 million Abe-Martin Academic Enhancement Center, which was completed in August 2008.

Football

Main article: TCU Horned Frogs football

The Horned Frogs have won two national championships, one in 1935 and the other in 1938. Additionally, the team has captured fourteen conference championships. Many notable football players have played for TCU, including Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Many other Horned Frogs also currently play in the NFL.

The Horned Frogs play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium. Gary Patterson has coached the team since December 2000, leading the Horned Frogs to a 97–28 record (.776), including six bowl wins in 10 appearances. Under Patterson, the Horned Frogs have owned the No. 1 ranked defense in the country five times (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010), the most top defenses by any team since the NCAA began keeping records in 1937 (Alabama and Auburn have each had four No. 1 defensive rankings since 1937).

TCU finished the 2010 season as the consensus No. 2 ranked team in the nation after beating the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2011 Rose Bowl. The Horned Frogs were the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in the Rose Bowl since the creation of the Bowl Championship Series.

Rivalries

The TCU Horned Frogs have an historic rivalry with the SMU Mustangs of Fort Worth's sister city, Dallas. In football, the teams compete annually in the Battle for the Iron Skillet. TCU leads the all-time series 41–39–7.

Traditionally, TCU's other biggest rivals have been those teams from the now defunct Southwest Conference, and attempts are made to schedule those schools as out-of-conference opponents. Most TCU teams play annually or bi-annually with Baylor University and Texas Tech University.

Alumni

Main article: List of Texas Christian University alumni

TCU has roughly 75,000 living alumni.

Business and community leaders

Bob Schieffer, class of 1959

Arts and entertainment

LaDainian Tomlinson, class of 2001

Athletes and coaches

Fictional alumni

Endowment

As of January 2011, TCU's total endowment was worth $1,152,138,000.

References

  • Swaim, Joan. (1992). Walking TCU. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press. ISBN 0-399-14218-50875651046
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  3. "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  4. "2024-2025 Best National Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  5. "2024 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  6. http://sacscoc.org/pdf/webmemlist.pdf
  7. http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=2438&profileId=7
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  9. "U.S. Naval Administration in World War II". HyperWar Foundation. 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  10. University Fact Book
  11. http://www.calendar.tcu.edu/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=8058&information_id=21262&type=
  12. "Texas Christian University Horned Frogs – Official Athletic Site – Facilities". Gofrogs.cstv.com. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  13. "Complete List of Williamson National Champions from CFB Database". Cfbdatawarehouse.com. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  14. NCAA Division I FBS national football championship
  15. "2011 Rose Bowl Winner: TCU Defeats Wisconsin". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  16. "Welcome to Froglinks". froglinks.com. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  17. ^ "Sporting News' NFL Top 100: Colts QB Peyton Manning voted No. 1 by our panel of experts – NFL". Sporting News. September 9, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  18. "Player Bio: Jamie Dixon – University Of Pittsburgh Official Athletic Site". Pittsburghpanthers.com. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  19. {{cite web|url=http://www.endowment.tcu.edu/

External links

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