Region 16 Teachers Exploring American Civics Education Through WT Seminar

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

CANYON, Texas — About 30 educators from around Region 16 Education Service Center are taking part in a summer seminar on American history and civics hosted by West Texas A&M University.

The 27 teachers will learn about the founding principles and first texts that sparked the American independence movement, as part of a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The seminar runs June 1 to 12.

As part of the federal government’s push to reflect on the principles that have shaped the nation in advance of its 250th anniversary, the American History and Civics National Activities grant will allow WT and partner Texas Southern University in Houston to create a series of seminars for teachers and undergraduates, as well as develop a new civics curriculum.

WT, through its Hill Institute, is partnering with Region 16 and Texas Southern University will work with Houston Independent School District on the project.

Dr. Wade Shaffer, professor of history in the Department of History in WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, will lead the first seminar.

“As we celebrate 250 years of our country, it is important to remember the ideas and the ideals that led to the creation of the United States,” Shaffer said. “We are, in many ways, a nation based on three documents from that founding era: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.”

Participating teachers will be eligible for a stipend, graduate course credit and professional development hours.

The seminar will include four in-person instruction days and six at-home learning opportunities, including intensive lectures, assigned readings, Socratic dialogue and debates.

Educators will develop a unit plan for their specific grade level utilizing original founding tests as their final capstone project.

Additional seminars will be held on American civic traditions and the future of democracy in summer 2027 and 2028, respectively. Any licensed educator is eligible to participate. A stipend is limited to the first 30 who sign up.

To sign up, contact Jamie Allen, ACT at 250 project manager, at jallen@wtamu.edu.

Teachers taking part in the 2026 seminar represent elementary, middle school and high school grade levels from schools in Canyon, Amarillo, Tulia, Hereford, Dimmitt and Clarendon.

The 2026 seminar will conclude with an on-campus day of instruction that also will include lunch with WT President Walter V. Wendler and a tour of the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building.

The American Civic Tradition at 250 Grant is administered by Dr. Timothy Bowman, professor of history, and Jamie Allen, project manager.

Named for Joseph A. Hill, the second president of WT and its longest-serving leader, the Hill Institute centers on 10 values: trust, family life, hard work, regard for others, personal responsibility, compatriotism and patriotism, virtue, faith, personal and civic loyalty, and rugged individualism.

The Hill Institute officially was approved by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in February 2022. Since that time, WT officials have worked to secure funding and continue refining the Institute’s mission. The Institute is funded through philanthropic dollars rather than government funding.

Providing access to excellent foundational educational programs is a key principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University 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 boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 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 Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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