WELCOME TO HUNTSVILLE 2025 | 17
Sam Houston State University
A first generation center unlike any other
F or 140 years, Sam Houston State University has been preparing students for meaningful lives of achievement. Its motto,“ The Measure of a Life is its Service,” echoes across SHSU’ s seven colleges and beyond its Texas campus through student research, creative endeavors, service learning, volunteering and more.
Named for Sam Houston, Texas’ greatest hero, SHSU continually strives to honor its historical roots through academic excellence that includes exceptional teaching from faculty members who care as much about their students’ success as they do about furthering the knowledge of their fields.
While embracing its legacy, SHSU also strives to meet the needs of contemporary students, both traditional and online. With a variety of fully online undergraduate and graduate degrees and numerous certificates and certifications, all of which are taught by on campus professors, SHSU Online has the option you’ re looking for to reach your academic, personal, and professional goals.
With a student population of over 21,500, Sam Houston State University offers graduate, professional, and baccalaureate degrees, as well as professional and graduate certificates, in more than 170 fields of study through eight schools and colleges. We offer classes across three campuses as well as online. We have something for everyone.
Sam Houston State is classified as a“ Doctoral Research University” by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and was recently recognized by U. S. News and World Report for being among the best in the country for online graduate programs. In addition, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education classified SHSU as a“ Community Engaged” university. This honor has been awarded to 311 public institutions nationwide and acknowledges the university’ s significant commitment to serving the community.
Austin College initially occupied the current site of Sam Houston State University. In 1876, it was moved to Sherman, but Austin Hall, which was dedicated in 1851 with Texas hero Sam Houston in attendance, is now the university’ s architectural symbol. First used in October 1852, Austin Hall is the oldest continuously used stateowned higher education facility west of the Mississippi River.
After it was used as a Methodist school for boys, Austin Hall was acquired in 1879 by a group of Huntsville citizens. They had first failed to have their city designated as the Texas state capital, but settled instead for the first teacher-training school in the southwestern United States. Establishment of Sam Houston Normal Institute was authorized by Texas Gov. Oran M. Roberts on April 21, 1879. In 1965, during the presidency of Arleigh B. Templeton( 1965-1970), Sam Houston State Teachers College was renamed Sam Houston State College.
Sam Houston State currently holds an enrollment of nearly 21,000 students. With its modern facilities, an inspired and capable administration and a superior faculty, the university is embracing the challenges of a new century. With its namesake, its ties to Texas history and a record of many years of service to the people of the state, Sam Houston State University is truly“ a great name in Texas education.”
WELCOME TO HUNTSVILLE 2025 | 17