Tarleton: Feeling at home in Fort Worth
Tuesday, Feb. 27, is a milestone for Tarleton State University and the entire Texas A&M University System.
We will break ground on the first building of our planned campus on 80 acres, donated by the Walton Group of Companies, just off Chisholm Trail Parkway.
Leaders at Tarleton and the Texas A&M System had a hunch 40 years ago that there was room in Fort Worth for the types of outstanding educational experiences we offer. We started with eight students on West Myrtle Street, moved to the Richard C. Schaffer Building on Enderly Place in the ’90s, and expanded to the Hickman Building on Camp Bowie Boulevard in 2006.
After 100 years as founding member of the A&M System, we are putting down permanent roots in Tarrant County.
Our first multipurpose academic building, a 76,000-square-foot jewel, will enable us to work with business and industry leaders to expand current degree programs and add new ones, ensuring continued economic growth for North Texas.
The eventual second phase, adding buildings to shape a formal quad, is expected to accommodate more than 5,000 students and bring the campus to 360,000 square feet in space.
If growth continues as expected — and resources are available for additional buildings — the campus could serve 9,000 students by 2030.
A flourishing Fort Worth campus advances the academic mission and strategic plan for the A&M System and all parts of our university, giving students access to a quality education and multiplied opportunities for success.
As the first state-supported university in Fort Worth to offer undergraduate programs, we enjoy longstanding partnerships with Tarrant County, Weatherford, Hill and Collin colleges, creating specific major-related transfer agreements or pathways for students to seamlessly complete their degrees on time and save dollars.
Tarleton-Fort Worth’s number of 2017 transfer students — from 45 Texas colleges and universities — is up almost 41 percent from just five years ago. Our graduation rate for transfer students tops the state average by 10 points, placing us among the best for Texas public universities.
Offering more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs — with all the benefits of being part of the A&M System — Tarleton-Fort Worth is quickly becoming a premier option for students of all ages who want to meet their educational goals and improve quality of life.
Some of the students are place-bound by job or family circumstance. Some are veterans. Others seek a career change.
They may be finishing what was interrupted by a life event or fulfilling a promise made to a loved one — or to themselves — years earlier.
For these students, and the thousands who will follow, we provide an innovative and relevant mix of academic programs grounded in the real world. We are implementing course redesign and classroom changes that reflect fresh learning techniques and tools.
To implement these strategies in Fort Worth, we needed new facilities.
Thanks to the generous donation by the Walton Group and the support of the Texas A&M University System, the Legislature and the city of Fort Worth, Tarleton’s planned campus on the Chisholm Trail will open the doors to its first building in fall 2019.
As the heart of Tarleton’s presence in Fort Worth, this first building is a nod to our rich heritage and bright future.
Our founder, John Tarleton, ranched in northern Erath County and had a large herd in the last decades of the 19th century. Our history parallels that of Fort Worth, and I like to imagine he was very familiar with the Chisholm Trail and had dreams of making education accessible and affordable to more than just the students we serve at our Stephenville campus.
That’s exactly what is happening in Fort Worth.
Thanks, Fort Worth, for making Tarleton State University feel right at home!
F. Dominic Dottavio, Ph.D., is the 15th president of Tarleton State University.
This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Tarleton: Feeling at home in Fort Worth."