WT Ag Alumni in Spearman Area Invited to Free Lunch

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

CANYON, Texas — The West Texas A&M University Department of Agricultural Sciences is hitting the road to meet with Buffs in the northeast Texas Panhandle.

Representatives from the department, part of WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, will travel to Spearman with the WT Alumni Association and the Agriculture Development Association.

They’ll host a free lunch for WT ag alumni from noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Hansford County Agricultural Center, 320 East D Ave. Lunch is sponsored by HTS Commodities and Hilltop Securities.

Ag alumni from Hansford, Ochiltree and Hutchinson counties, as well as Texas County in Oklahoma, are invited.

Planned attendees include Dr. Lance Kieth, associate dean of the Engler College; Dr. Bob Robinson, professor of agriculture; McKinley Begert, ADA board member; Abby Waters, alumni program manager; Ryan Butler, former ADA president; and Gary Culp, a founding ADA member.

“It is an exciting time at WT, and the Ag on the Road event provides the perfect opportunity for alumni to reconnect and stay up to date about the latest developments in our Department of Agricultural Sciences,” Kieth said.

The event is free.

“The Ag Development Association continues to provide top-notch efforts with recruitment and alumni engagement,” said Ronnie Hall, Alumni Association executive director. “We are excited to connect with the Spearman area.”

In the past 25 years, ADA has raised nearly $2.5 million for the department. Enrollment has risen from a few hundred students to nearly 1,200, with 20 straight years of growth.  

ADA currently is the largest department-affiliated chapter for WT’s Alumni Association.

Additional events are being planned around the Panhandle region.

Strengthening existing and creating new relationships with alumni is a 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.

—WT—