University of Texas at Arlington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The University of Texas at Arlington

Former names	Arlington College (1895–1902) Carlisle Military Academy (1901–1913) Arlington Training School (1913–1916) Arlington Military Academy (1916–1917) Grubb's Vocational College (1917–1923) North Texas Agricultural College (1923–1949) Arlington State College (1949–1967)
Motto	Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis (Latin)
Motto in English	"The cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy"
Type	Public research university
Established	1895; 130 years ago (1895)
Parent institution	University of Texas System
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliations	URA ORAU Space-grant
Endowment	$218 million (2022)
President	Jennifer Evans-Cowley
Academic staff	2,165
Students	40,990 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduates	27,704 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates	11,624 (Fall 2022)
Location	Arlington , Texas , United States
Campus	Large City, 420 acres (1.7 km2)
Newspaper	The Shorthorn
Colors	Royal blue, orange, and white
Nickname	Mavericks
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – WAC
Mascot	Blaze

The University of Texas at Arlington (often called UTA or UT Arlington) is a large public university in Arlington, Texas. It's a place where lots of research happens. The university started way back in 1895. For many years, it was part of the Texas A&M University System. Then, in 1965, it joined the University of Texas System.

UTA is known as a "very high research activity" university. This means professors and students do a lot of important scientific and academic studies. In Fall 2022, over 40,000 students attended, making it one of the biggest universities in Texas. UTA helps many students earn degrees. It offers more than 180 different programs for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

The university also has 15 sports teams. They compete in NCAA Division I, which is the highest level of college sports. UTA's teams are called the Mavericks. They have been known by this name since 1971.

History of UTA

How it Started (1895–1916)

An early picture of the first building at Arlington College

The university began as Arlington College in September 1895. It was a private school for younger students, from first to tenth grade. At that time, the public schools in Arlington didn't have enough money or teachers. A local businessman, Edward Emmett Rankin, helped gather donations. People gave materials and land to build the first schoolhouse. This is where the campus is today.

The public school system later rented space at Arlington College. Eventually, the college was sold in 1900. In 1902, the school closed, and the property was sold to James McCoy Carlisle.

A painting of Carlisle Military Academy in 1911

Carlisle opened the Carlisle Military Academy in 1902. Students learned regular subjects and also had military training. The school grew, and new buildings like barracks, a gym, and a pool were added. Sports teams for baseball, football, basketball, and track also started. The academy became very well-known. However, it faced money problems and closed in 1913.

After that, two more military academies opened on the same campus: Arlington Training School (1913–1916) and Arlington Military Academy (1916–1917). Both also faced financial difficulties and closed after a short time.

Joining the Texas A&M System (1917–1965)

The Science Building at North Texas Agricultural College in 1941. It's now called Preston Hall.

People in Arlington wanted the campus to become a public college. In 1917, it became a branch of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. It was named Grubbs Vocational College. Students learned job skills, and all male students had military training. In 1923, its name changed again to the North Texas Agricultural College (NTAC).

NTAC Corps of Cadets on campus in the 1920s.

During the Great Depression, funding was cut. The college started offering more general courses instead of just vocational ones. During World War II, NTAC helped train students for the war effort.

In 1949, the college's name changed to Arlington State College (ASC). This new name showed that agriculture was no longer the main focus. Leaders wanted ASC to become a four-year college. The student population grew very quickly in the 1950s. In 1959, the Texas legislature approved ASC becoming a four-year college. By 1963, ASC had more students than the main Texas A&M campus.

Becoming Part of the UT System (1965–Present)

An aerial view of the UT Arlington campus in 1967

Because the Texas A&M system limited ASC's growth, leaders and citizens in Arlington worked to join the University of Texas System. On September 1, 1965, Arlington State College officially became part of the UT System. In 1967, it adopted its current name: The University of Texas at Arlington.

Joining the UT System brought immediate changes. In 1966, the Graduate School was created. New buildings also started to be built.

In the late 1960s, there was a discussion about the university's "rebel" theme and symbols. After several years, the UT System decided to stop using the rebel theme. In 1971, students voted to adopt the "Maverick" theme, which is still used today.

From 1974 to 1992, Wendell Nedderman was president. During his time, the university grew a lot. More doctoral programs were added in science, engineering, and business. UTA became known as an important research institution.

In 2023, a former student, Kelcy Warren, gave $12 million to the university. This was the largest gift ever to UTA. It will help grow programs in resource and energy engineering.

UTA Campuses

Main Campus Area

The main campus is 420 acres. It is located at the southern edge of downtown Arlington. Nearby, you can find the public library, City Hall, and art museums. The campus is also close to the Texas and Pacific Railway line, which is where the city first started.

Underneath the campus is the Barnett Shale. This natural gas formation has brought millions of dollars to the university since 2008. This money helps fund scholarships, hire great teachers, and improve campus buildings.

Trading House Creek runs along the southern part of campus. Cooper Street, a major road, goes through the campus. It connects to nearby highways like I-20 and Interstate 30. Famous places like AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park in Arlington, and Six Flags Over Texas are just two miles away.

Campus Buildings and Design

A fountain on campus

The campus is built on the city's old street layout. The oldest buildings, Ransom Hall, Preston Hall, and College Hall, were built in 1919. They have a traditional style. Newer buildings from the 1960s to 1980s are more modern.

A special part of the campus is the Architecture Building, which has a nice courtyard. Pickard Hall, for Math and Nursing, has an unusual triangular shape. Texas Hall and Nedderman Hall are also important buildings. Many buildings use limestone and a special UTA-blend brick, which gives the campus a consistent look.

Recently, a 'Land Acknowledgement Park' was built. It recognizes that the university is on lands historically connected to the Caddo and Wichita people.

The Central Library is a key part of the campus. It forms one side of the Library Quad, which is like the heart of the university. Newer buildings like the Chemistry & Physics Building and College Park Center have modern designs. The Chemistry & Physics Building has one of the largest planetariums in Texas.

Vandergriff Hall at College Park

Parking lots are mostly on the outer edges of campus. This means students often get a good walk to their classes! There are also parking garages to help. The campus has many green spaces and outdoor areas, like the Greene Research Quad and The Green at College Park. You might also see "Spirit Horses" around campus. These are fiberglass horse statues painted with blue and orange patterns.

The College Park District was finished in 2012. It added a large arena for 7,000 people, dorms, apartments, shops, and a park. Over 5,000 students live on campus. This creates a lively environment all day and night.

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  Nedderman Hall

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  Engineering Research Building

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  Arlington Hall

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  CAPPA Building

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  Texas Hall

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  The Commons

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  College of Business

Fort Worth Campus

In 2007, UTA opened a campus in downtown Fort Worth. It is in a historic building called the Santa Fe Freight building. At first, it offered only business classes. Now, it has more classes for different degree programs. This campus has over 25,000 square feet of modern classrooms and services.

Academics at UTA

UT Arlington is known for its "very high research activity." It is one of only four universities in Texas to be named a "Texas Tier One" university. This gives it access to special state funding for research.

As of 2019, UTA had 15 professors who were fellows in the National Academy of Inventors. This is the highest number in Texas.

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation trains the most registered nurses in Texas. It is also one of the top five largest producers of nurses in the entire country.

The College of Engineering offers many programs. It is one of the biggest engineering colleges in Texas, with over 7,000 students. Its graduate programs were ranked #69 in the nation in 2023.

The School of Social Work helps students learn how to support people and communities. Its programs are approved by the Council on Social Work Education.

The College of Business is very large and offers many different business programs. Its part-time MBA program was ranked among the top 50 for public universities. The college also has a large executive MBA program in China.

The College of Science has six departments, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. It offers over 50 different degree programs. The professors in this college are involved in important research. For example, the High Energy Physics group helped discover the Higgs boson particle in 2012 at CERN.

Graduates from the College of Education have a high pass rate on the Texas state teaching exam. This shows they are well-prepared to become teachers.

The College of Liberal Arts has unique programs like Southwestern Studies. It also has centers for Mexican American Studies and African American Studies.

UTA is the only place in North Texas with approved programs in architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture. It also has the first and only bachelor's degree in architectural engineering in the region.

The Interdisciplinary Studies program (INTS) is growing fast. It lets students create their own unique study plans. This helps them combine different subjects to fit their career goals.

The Honors College is for high-achieving students. It is the first of its kind in North Texas and third in Texas.

Colleges and Schools

The university has 10 colleges and schools:

UTA Libraries

Girolamo Ruscelli's 1561 map of New Spain, Nueva Hispania Tabula Nova. This image is from the UTA Libraries Special Collections.

UT Arlington Libraries have three locations: Central Library, the Architecture and Fine Arts Library, and the Science and Engineering Library. The Central Library is open 24/7 during the school year.

The Libraries have special collections. These include historical items about Texas, Mexico, and the Mexican–American War. They also have a large collection of maps from the last 500 years. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram photo archives show over 100 years of history in North and West Texas. Many rare items are available to view online.

Research at UTA

UT Arlington spends a lot on research. In 2019, it spent $117 million on research projects. There are many research centers on campus:

• The Shimadzu Institute for Research Technologies (SIRT) helps researchers use special instruments. These are used for studies in biology, chemistry, engineering, and more.
• The UTA Aerodynamics Research Center studies how things move through the air.
• UTA has a nanotechnology research facility called NanoFab. Nanotechnology deals with very, very small things.
• The Center for Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research has one of the world's largest collections of amphibians and reptiles.

Science and Engineering Innovation and Research (SEIR) Building

• The Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) supports research on Latino issues.
• The UT Arlington Research Institute (UTARI) is a research and development group.
• The Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions, and Dollars (C-TEDD) studies how transportation systems work.
• The Genomics Core Facility (GCF) helps with genetic research.
• The Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research (LINK) Research Lab studies how people learn.
• The Science, Engineering, Innovation and Research (SEIR) building is a large, six-story building. It has research labs and classrooms.

Student Life

Student Diversity

U.S. News & World Report often ranks UT Arlington among the top 10 universities in the nation for its diverse student body. About 55% of the students are female. Many international students come from countries like India, China, Taiwan, and Nigeria.

Living on Campus

The campus has four main dorms. They can house at least 5,600 students. There are also 18 on-campus apartment complexes. Some houses are available for students with children. The four dorms are Arlington Hall, Kalpana Chawla Hall (KC Hall), Vandergriff Hall, and West Hall.

Student Traditions

UTA bed races in 2002

Oozeball at UTA in 1997

• Bed Races: Since 1980, teams of students race beds on wheels. Four people push, and one rides. It's a fun competition between student groups.
• Homecoming: This event happens in the fall, marking the start of basketball season. It includes alumni events, a parade, fireworks, and a pep rally before the homecoming game.
• Mav Swap: Students can trade clothes from their high school or another college for free UT Arlington gear.
• International Week (I-Week): Hosted by the International Student Organization, this week celebrates the many different cultures on campus. It often includes a Food Fair, Fashion Show, and exhibits.
• MavsMeet Convocation: This is a formal ceremony at the start of the school year. New students are welcomed by the university president and other leaders. Afterward, there's a party with music and games.
• Oozeball: This annual event is a volleyball game played in mud pits! It raises money for student scholarships and charity. It started in 1989 and is very popular.
• Rubbing Hereford's Head: There's a statue of Ernest H. Hereford, a former president, in the University Center. Students believe rubbing his head brings good luck on exams.
• UT Arlington Marching Band: Known as "The Ambassadors of the University," this band is special because it exists even though UTA doesn't have a football team. They perform at many events and contests.

Greek Life

UT Arlington has many fraternities and sororities. These are social organizations for students. Between five and ten percent of undergraduate students usually join these groups.

Athletics

UTA logomark

College Park Center

UT Arlington's sports teams are called the Mavericks. This name was chosen in 1971. UTA was a founding member of the Southland Conference. The university has won the Southland Conference's Commissioners Cup three times. This award goes to the best overall sports program in the conference.

A cheerleader makes the "Go Mavs" hand sign at a 1985 homecoming bonfire.

UTA's basketball and volleyball teams play at College Park Center. This arena opened in 2012 and can seat about 7,000 people.

UT Arlington joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in July 2012. After one year, they moved to the Sun Belt Conference in July 2013. Then, in July 2022, the Mavericks rejoined the WAC.

Varsity Sports Teams

UT Arlington has teams in 15 NCAA Division I sports. These include baseball, basketball (men's and women's), tennis, golf, softball, track, cross country, and women's volleyball.

The volleyball team had great success in 1989. They reached the NCAA Final Four. The women's basketball team has played in the NCAA tournaments several times. The men's basketball team made its first NCAA appearance in 2008. In 2017, the men's basketball team made it to the quarter-finals of the National Invitation Tournament.

UTA used to have a football team, but it was stopped after the 1985 season. This was because of high costs and low attendance. Sometimes people talk about bringing football back, but it hasn't happened.

UTA Cheerleading

UTA's small coed cheerleading team is very strong. They have won the National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Champions title many times, including in 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Sports Rivalries

The Spirit Horse at the College Park Center

UTA has a strong rivalry with the University of North Texas Mean Green. Their games are always well-attended. The longest rivalry is in men's basketball, which started in 1925.

Another big baseball rivalry is with the TCU Horned Frogs. These two teams from Tarrant County play every year. Their games draw large crowds.

When UTA rejoined the WAC in 2022, it joined five other Texas schools in the conference. These include Abilene Christian, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, and UTRGV.

Notable People

University Leaders

Here are some of the people who have led UT Arlington and its earlier schools:

• Lee Morgan Hammond and William H. Trimble, Arlington College, 1895–1898
• Lee Morgan Hammond, Arlington College, 1898–1900
• W. W. Franklin, Arlington College, 1900–1902
• James M. Carlisle, Carlisle Military Academy, 1902–1913
• Henry Kirby Taylor, Arlington Training School, 1913–1916
• John B. Dodson, Arlington Military Academy, 1916–1917
• Myron L. Williams, Dean, Grubbs Vocational College and North Texas Agricultural College (NTAC), 1917–1925
• Edward Everett Davis, Dean, NTAC, 1925–1946
• Ernest H. Hereford, PhD, Dean, NTAC, 1946–1948, and President, Arlington State College (ASC), 1948–1958
• Jack R. Woolf, PhD, President, ASC and UT Arlington (UTA), 1959–1968
• Frank Harrison, PhD, President, UTA, 1968–1972
• Wendell Nedderman, PhD, President, UTA, 1972–1992
• Ryan C. Amacher, PhD, President, UTA, 1992–1995
• Robert E. Witt, PhD, President, UTA, 1995–2003
• Charles A. Sorber, PhD, Interim President, UTA, 2003–2004
• James D. Spaniolo, M.P.A., J.D., President, UTA, 2004–2013
• Vistasp Karbhari, PhD, President, UTA, 2013–2020
• Teik C. Lim, Interim President, UTA, 2020–2022
• Jennifer Evans-Cowley, President, UTA, 2022–present

Famous Alumni

Many notable people have graduated from UT Arlington:

• Lanny Bassham, Olympic champion in shooting
• Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-American woman to go to space
• Pat Choate, an American economist
• Waded Cruzado, president of Montana State University
• Roland G. Fryer Jr., a professor of Economics at Harvard University
• Caitlin Glass, a voice actress
• Marjorie Herrera Lewis, an author
• Michael Langley, the first African American Marine Corps general
• Hunter Pence, a professional baseball player
• Lou Diamond Phillips, an actor and director
• Joey McGuire, head football coach at Texas Tech
• R. Byron Pipes, a researcher and former president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Doug Russell, an Olympic champion swimmer
• Robert L. Stewart, an astronaut
• Lisa Van Gemert, an author and educator
• Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, a politician and advisor in Bangladesh

See Also

• Maverick Speakers Series, a series of famous speakers who visit UTA
• UTA Radio, the student-run radio station at UT Arlington