University of Texas of the Permian Basin
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| Motto | Latin: Disciplina praesidium civitatis (Education, the Guardian of Society) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1973 |
| President | W. David Watts |
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Administrative staff
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140 |
| Students |
5,660 |
| Undergraduates | 4,661 |
| Postgraduates | 899 |
| Location |
Odessa, Texas, U.S. 31°53′24″N 102°19′43″W / 31.88992°N 102.328687°WCoordinates: 31°53′24″N 102°19′43″W / 31.88992°N 102.328687°W |
| Campus | Urban, 644 acres |
| Colors | Orange and White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II – Lone Star |
| Nickname | Falcons |
| Affiliations | UT System |
| Website | www |
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5,660
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) is a state university located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973. Its official Spring 2016 enrollment was a record high 6,050, a 15% increase in headcount since the previous year. The university faces rapid growth as a result of the oil boom currently ongoing in the Permian Basin.
Among those who pushed for the establishment of UTPB was the oil industrialist Bill Noël, who with his wife, Ellen Witwer Noël, became major philanthropists of the institution.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin began in 1973 with only junior, senior, and graduate-level programs. There were 1,011 students when the school opened. The institution permitted student input in the interviews of prospective faculty, and student recommendations were considered when additional faculty were hired.
According to legend, a rivalry with Odessa College (OC) got underway from the very beginning, when OC students taunted the UTPB students that they were too old to produce a streaker. A student finally agreed, and with only his head covered, streaked across the campus. It was a planned media event as all three television stations were present as was most of the faculty and administration including the University President, Dr. Armstead. The student jumped from the side door of a Volkswagen campmobile and ran to the crowd and camera. He then turned left and ran past the berms and out the back of the small courtyard. This was all done to great cheers. He escaped by jumping back into the Volkswagen which drove off unimpeded.
UTPB was an upper-level and graduate university until the Texas Legislature passed a bill in spring 1991 to allow the university to accept freshmen and sophomores. The first freshmen, called the "Pioneer Freshmen", began attending UTPB in the fall semester of 1991, and students were first designated as sophomores the following fall. Odessan Chris Horton was the first member of the "Pioneer Freshmen" to graduate from UTPB, completing his bachelor's degree in political science in May 1994.
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