WT Recognizes 42 Future Teachers at Pinning Ceremony

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

CANYON, Texas — More than 40 future teachers took a major step toward their first classroom following a ceremony at West Texas A&M University.

The students have been newly admitted into WT’s educator preparation program and were celebrated at a new pinning ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

Pinning ceremonies, such as those in the nursing profession, are a symbolic marking of the occasion when students are formally welcomed into their chosen profession, said Dr. Betty Coneway, head of WT’s Department of Education in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.

The ceremony coincided with the Oct. 5 celebration of World Teachers Day.

“This symbolic ceremony represents aspiring teachers’ initial step into the profession,” said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences. “It is a time for the teacher candidates, their families, and those who inspired them to choose teaching as their profession to celebrate them.”

Students recognized at the ceremony include:

All are education majors.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new cohort of teacher candidates into the profession of education,” said Dr. Betty Coneway, head of WT’s Department of Education and the Geneva Schaeffer Professor for Education and Social Sciences. “Teaching is a noble career that makes a difference in our world, and we are honored to support these students in their journey to becoming a certified teacher.”

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.

Most recently, WT has launched the Educators Excellence Initiative, which offers half-off tuition and mandatory fees for all full-time teachers, administrators, librarians, nurses, counselors or paraprofessionals in Regions 16, 17 and 18 Education Service Centers, as well as full-time employees of the ESCs. The offer also is extended to the same employees at 1A and 2A schools around the state.

Serving the people of Texas, primarily in rural regions, is the key mission of 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 has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M 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. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT 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. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is 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 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Dr. Gary Bigham, right, congratulates Brittany Bartlett, a senior education major from Lubbock during a Sept. 30 pinning ceremony welcoming her into West Texas A&M University's educator preparation program.

—WT—