COMMUNITY LIFE Rural, agricultural communities typically lack access to cultural activities and events that make life special through vibrant, intellectually-moving experiences. The future prosperity of these small communities often comes from the humanities, the fine arts and other cultural perspectives. Colleges and universities that commit to the study of the arts and humanities in agrarian settings have ever-widening spheres of influence. WT will continue to produce exceptional musicians, dancers, artists, theatre performers and educators of the arts who have access and contribute to the local arts community and who also maintain a dedication to sharing a vibrant social and cultural life in the Texas Panhandle. SCHOOLS IN RURAL SETTINGS The single most powerful tool for equipping the region, enhancing its health and prosperity and delivering the quality of life desired by its inhabitants is education. Supporting Texas Panhandle educators in various ways has defined this University since its inception. WT will continue to expand and adjust its work to provide high-quality educational leaders who live and work across this region. At the writing of this plan, the University has just received approval to open a first-of-its-kind doctoral program that will prepare educators to lead rural schools effectively and with innovation. The Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership is a prototype for additional graduate programs that will serve the top 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle with distinction. WT is committed to serving the needs of small school districts in agricultural settings with excellence. ENRICHED ENTERPRISE Enriched enterprise is important to the vitality of the Texas Panhandle and the people who live in the small communities in the region. WT will continue to heighten and elevate the importance of individuals in the entrepreneurial process, ideation and development of business concepts that improve the quality of life. WT is committed to serving the region and well beyond with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who are empowered to lead others.
BEEF The U.S. leads the world in producing beef . 6 Moreover, no region in the United States feeds and produces as many beef cattle as the Panhandle and High Plains region of our state—about one third of the total U.S. production within a 100-mile radius of Canyon. 7 With the leadership of people like Paul Engler, inaugural inductee into the Cattle Feeder’s Hall of Fame, feed cattle became big business in the Texas Panhandle. Driven by regional forces, WT has a regional responsibility and is committed to beef production. RURAL HEALTH CARE In small communities, there is a critical need for people to have access to care or resources in order to improve or maintain physical health and mental health. WT will continue to focus our health industry efforts on rural population health care initiatives and the people of the Texas Panhandle who need access to health care, health care education or health care resources. WT is committed to serving the health care needs of outlying areas of the Panhandle with excellence. WATER AND ENERGY Water, one of the most precious resources for survival, is scarce in the Texas Panhandle. In fact, the Panhandle is a significant part of the agricultural heart of the nation— one of the 10 most challenged regions of the country for water scarcity. Because of that, WT plans to systematically focus on the water needs of the top 26 counties of Texas. In addition, WT has a regional responsibility in the area of energy. The Texas Panhandle is one of the most consistently windy regions of the United States, and Amarillo, the closest and most important neighbor of Canyon, is one of the four windiest cities in America. In short, WT’s location provides tangible opportunity to understand wind energy and the science and prospects for its effective use. WT is committed to its responsibilities of water and energy in the region in order to create value beyond the Texas Panhandle.
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