Year-End Donations to WT’s One West Campaign Sought During The Panhandle Gives

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

CANYON, Texas — Faithful and brand-new donors to West Texas A&M University have the chance to make history during this year’s The Panhandle Gives campaign.

Gifts made to WT during The Panhandle Gives campaign, which runs Nov. 24 to Dec. 2, are counted as part of WT’s immensely successful One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which has raised more than $190 million and counting.

To donate to the One West campaign through the Panhandle Gives, visit thepanhandlegives.org/organizations/west-texas-a-m-university.

“Fundraising endeavors such as the One West campaign should not only improve a University, but it also should expand its reach and impact to benefit the people and communities where it is located,” WT President Walter V. Wendler said. “Donors to the One West campaign have done all of that through their generous philanthropic support—and continue to do so.”

The campaign—the largest fundraising campaign in Texas Panhandle history—fuels the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

The One West campaign soon will end in monumental fashion, and year-end giving to WT’s One West campaign will continue through Dec. 31. To give after The Panhandle Gives event ends, visit wtamu.edu/one-west/give.html.

There are countless ways to make an impact, said Dr. Todd Rasberry, vice president for philanthropy and external relations and executive director of the West Texas A&M University Foundation.

“Year-end giving to the One West campaign supports our people, places and programs, all of which make WT a place of opportunity and pride,” Rasberry said. “Contributions, no matter the size, help WT achieve excellence by funding scholarships, groundbreaking research and community programs that make a real difference in helping students to graduate and succeed.”

The Panhandle Gives is a nine-day charitable giving event hosted by the Amarillo Area Foundation, running from the Monday before Thanksgiving through Giving Tuesday, the global day of generosity. Nonprofits eligible for AAF grants can register to participate and keep 100 percent of the funds they raise; those that raise at least $250 also receive a percentage match from the Amplification Fund, a pool made possible by foundations, corporate sponsors and individual donors.

In 2024, The Panhandle Gives raised $11.7 million.

Donations to WT from $20 to $20 million and more have propelled the One West campaign past two major goals: an initial $125 million goal that was reached 18 months after the campaign publicly launched in September 2021, and a second goal of $175 million that was surpassed in September 2025 with an anonymous $5 million gift to the College of Engineering.

Tens of millions have been given to establish or enhance scholarship funds. About $8 million in scholarship awards were disbursed to students in the 2024-2025 academic year through the WTAMU Foundation thanks to gifts to 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.

The One West campaign dwarfs WT’s landmark 2012 fundraising campaign, which raised $53 million, 76 percent more than its announced goal of $30 million.

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—