Texas Southern University Diploma and the Making of a Public Institution
Texas Southern University (TSU) is a public historically Black university in Houston, Texas. It’s in the city’s Third Ward, and it combines professional education, research and a cultural heritage strongly connected to African American life. It has two separate origins. A local junior college was created in 1927 and a state-supported university was established two decades later.
The institution’s earliest predecessor, Houston Colored Junior College, opened as part of the Houston school system during segregation. In 1934 it was made a four-year institution, and was named Houston College for Negroes. Initially the college operated out of shared school facilities before moving into its own building in 1946 on land which would become the university’s campus.
Its evolution into a state university reflected broader struggles for access to education. Texas lawmakers created a separate institution in an effort to keep the races segregated after they denied Heman Marion Sweatt admission to the University of Texas law school based on his race. In 1947 they founded Texas State University for Negroes, assuming control of the existing Houston college. Students began to petition for a new name and in 1951 Texas Southern University became the official name. For more information, see Texas Southern University’s official history.
Houston Builds an Academic Mission
1973 – Texas Legislature designated TSU as a special purpose institution for urban programming. It formally recognized its commitment to education and services that are relevant to city communities.
Its academic programs today encompass business, communication, education, science, public affairs and the humanities, and professional study in law and pharmacy. Named academic units include the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. The university’s approximately 150-acre campus places students near Houston’s museums, downtown institutions and the Texas Medical Center, creating a uniquely metropolitan setting. A Texas Southern University Diploma represents the completion of a degree at an institution whose history is closely connected to educational access and Houston’s development.
There’s a little bit of TSU’s cultural history in the classrooms and collections. The art department, founded in 1949 by artist John Biggers, fostered the study and collection of African art. The University Museum, established in 2000, showcases exhibits on African American art and the African diaspora.
The university also holds the papers of graduate Barbara Jordan, who was a student from 1952 to 1956 and was part of its debate team before entering public service. While her archive connects the campus to the history of American politics, the university’s own records document its development within Houston’s evolving educational landscape.