WT’s Bingham Named to Professorship Established to Honor AISD’s Loomis

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A 32-year veteran of West Texas A&M University’s Department of Education recently was named to an endowed professorship named for a prominent area educator.

Dr. Teri Bingham, who joined WT in 1993, is WT’s new Doug Loomis Professor of Education, a position established by a $125,000 gift from an anonymous donor, as announced in March.

“This professorship is a tremendous gift, an incredible opportunity, and one I humbly accept with a strong sense of responsibility,” Bingham said. “For me, it means a deeper engagement with the very work I love: empowering the next generation of teachers and cultivating a vibrant learning community. I’m eager to continue teacher education and contribute meaningfully to both our students’ journeys and the make a meaningful difference in the field of education.”

In addition to the professorship endowment, the donor also established a scholarship fund.

Loomis, who earned his master’s in education from WT, announced in October that he would retire effective June 30.

“Doug Loomis has provided almost four decades of teaching and administrative leadership in Amarillo ISD,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler when the gift was announced. “Doug’s service to district students, families, and teachers as superintendent is to be commended. Honoring Doug at WT through the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences with both a scholarship and professorship focusing on preparing the next generation of schoolteachers and administrators is an excellent way to highlight the good work being done throughout Amarillo ISD.”

Loomis has spent more than four decades in the Amarillo Independent School District, making an impact across the district and working in schools in every quadrant and at every level.

He began as a physical education teacher at Wolflin Elementary School, then taught science and health at Fannin Middle School. Later, he served as assistant principal at Sam Houston Middle School, assistant principal at Palo Duro High School, principal of Amarillo High School, and then executive director over the Caprock cluster of schools, which includes Caprock High School and its 13 feeder schools.

Loomis also served five years as the district’s chief human resources officer before being named interim superintendent in October 2018. The AISD School Board named him superintendent in March 2019.

In addition to teaching in WT’s educator preparation program, Bingham also is the director for WT’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

“Dr. Bingham is a purpose-driven, stellar instructor of pre-service teachers who are destined to enhance the quality of education received by students in Texas public schools,” said Dr. Gary Bigham, Regents Professor of Education and dean of the Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences. “Dr. Bingham employs grounded, research-based instructional practices to bring the curriculum to life through practical applications for pre-service teachers as they prepare to enter the profession of teaching.”

Bingham is the primary author and editor of “Teaching Texas,” a textbook designed to prepare preservice teachers to both pass the Texas State Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) certification test and the realities of being a classroom teacher.

Bingham earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a teaching certificate from Brigham Young University, then a master’s and doctoral degree in education from the University of California–Los Angeles.

Endowed professorships enhance opportunities for faculty members by providing additional resources which can be applied to teaching, research and professional growth.

WT boasts more than 90 endowed professorships, offering faculty additional funding for research, travel and more.

During the One West campaign, about 60 new professorships and chairs have been endowed throughout the University—an increase of more than 200 percent during the campaign.

WT opened in 1910 as West Texas State Normal College, a school that trained teachers. Today, about 75 percent of all teachers and administrators throughout the Panhandle region have at least one degree or certificate from WT.

Training educators is still a vital mission of the University, as laid out in its the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $165 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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