Modern people need education like air and food. After all, it plays a vital role in the life of every person. Almost all the opportunities of the modern world open up to an educated person. And vice versa – a person without education is almost always doomed to live in the limited space of his capabilities. Learn more at dallas-future.
Education appeared in human life when some people gained more knowledge than others and could share it with others. It all started with primitive knowledge about nature and the basic life cycles.
The history of the formation and development of education is very long and extensive. In this article, we will tell you the history of the oldest educational institution of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas Christian University.
Beginning of the history
The brothers Addison and Randolph Clark and their father Joseph A. Clark (three of them were born in East Texas) decided to establish a college for men and women. They were scholar-preachers from the Restoration Movement (a church reunification movement).
Addison and Randolph were participants in the Civil War on the Confederate side. After returning home, the brothers founded a children’s preparatory school in Fort Worth. This educational institution known as the Male & Female Seminary of Fort Worth existed from 1869 to 1874.
The brothers planned to open a higher educational institution with Christian values. In 1869, they purchased 5 plots of land in the center of Fort Worth to implement their idea. However, the brothers’ plans were disrupted by changes in the economic status of the city center. Therefore, they had to look for another site for the educational institution.
Another site was located 60 kilometers from the initial one in a quiet place.
New location
The new site was located near Thorp Spring. The brothers founded the male and female college there in 1873. Its official name was the AddRan College of Liberal Arts.
The AddRan College was the first bi-gender institution of its kind in Texas.
Beginning of operation
In the first year, 12 students were enrolled at the beginning of the academic year, and by the end of the year, there were already 123 of them. Each subsequent academic year, the institution had from 200 to 400 students.
The Clark brothers invited the best professors from the whole country to their institution. The level and methods of college education were recognized in the United States. Its graduates entered the best educational institutions in the country.
In 1889, the Clark brothers bequeathed their college with all the premises to the Christian Church. But there was one condition that the descendants of the Clarks would attend college for free. Unfortunately, it was never fulfilled.
Relocation
The university moved to Waco in 1895, as it had a larger population and a better transportation interchange. In 1902, the college was renamed Texas Christian University (TCU).
The university was located in Waco from 1895 to 1910. During that time, the university’s football team adopted the white and purple colors and the Horned Frog mascot.
Back to Fort Worth
In 1910, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the main building of the university. The institution needed money for restoration. Enterprising businessmen from Fort Worth offered financial aid on the condition that the university would return to the city.
In 1910-1911, the restored university in Fort Worth consisted of
- Clark Hall and Goode Hall, men’s dormitories
- Jarvis Hall, a women’s dormitory
- and the Main Administration building (now Reed Hall).
Two of the four buildings have been preserved:
- Reed Hall (the Main Administration building)
- Jarvis Hall (first a women’s dormitory, then an administrative building)
- Goode Hall was demolished and replaced by Clark Hall (a men’s dormitory)
- the original Clark Hall was demolished and replaced by Sadler Hall (administrative building).
The university received its first charitable fund from Mary Couts Burnett, a widow and owner of a large ranch, in 1923. The university library is named after the benefactor.
University territory
The institution covers 110 hectares and is located 6.5 km from the center of Fort Worth.
The territory is divided into three areas:
- a residential area
- an academic area
- and Worth Hills.
The residential and academic areas are separated by a street lined with oak trees.
As of 2021, three new dormitories have been built, in particular
- Hays Hall (dormitory for freshmen students)
- Arnold Hall (dormitory for sophomore students)
- and Richards Hall (dormitory for senior students).
Courses
The university offers 117 courses for undergraduates, 62 courses for master’s degrees and 25 programs for doctoral studies. The most popular specialty at the university is Business, which is studied by 25% of students. Then comes Journalism/Strategic Communications with 20% of students.
Students
As https://www.tcu.edu/ informs us, in fall 2022, the number of students at the university was 12,273.
Texas Christian University is the oldest university in the Metroplex region. Throughout its 150-year history, the institution has produced many outstanding people with knowledge in their heads and God in their hearts.
