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Texas Southern University is a state-supported institution of higher education established by the Fiftieth Texas Legislature on March 3, 1947 under the provisions of Senate Bill 140. This legislation authorized the University to offer programs in a number of areas “including pharmacy, dentistry, arts and sciences, journalism, education, literature, law, medicine, and other professional courses.”. A subsequent enabling act and other legislation stipulated that “these courses shall be equivalent to those offered at other institutions of this type supported by the State of Texas” and that “upon demand by qualified applicants and upon meeting the stipulations of the Act, the University shall, at all times, offer educational opportunities equal to and comparable with those offered by other institutions of its type supported by the State of Texas.” To house the new University, the State sought to acquire the physical plant of the Houston College for Negroes, a four-year institution operated by the Houston Independent School District. Prior to 1947 the Houston College had held its classes in the old Jack Yates High School building (now James D. Ryan Junior High). In 1947 it moved to a fifty-three acre tract in the southeastern part of the city, which is the present location of Texas Southern University. To construct the new campus for the Houston College for Negroes, a citizens’ committee headed by Dr. John W. Davis raised $100,000, a substantial portion of which was contributed by Thornton M. Fairchild and by Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Dupree. Hugh Roy Cullen and friends (including the Anderson Foundation) donated an additional $100,000, and in April 1947, the Thornton M. Fairchild Memorial Building was dedicated as the first building on the new campus. Please note that additional research has been uncovered that may change the dates associated with when the University was established. Watch for further details! |
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