"West Texas A&M University will host high school students from four Panhandle area high schools at its first “Day at WT” tour in both morning and afternoon sessions Monday, Sept. 18 on campus. The tours are a gesture of appreciation from Dr. Walter Wendler, University president, for the generosity received during his “Your University, Your Community” tour of Panhandle towns in the spring.
Students from Texline High School, Dimmitt High School, Highland Park High School and Childress High School will represent the first of several campus visits. Four more schools—Sanford-Fritch High School, Kress High School, White Deer High School and Canyon High School—will visit on Wednesday, Sept. 20. So far, 20 area high schools are scheduled to visit the WTAMU campus during the fall semester. Student visitors will range from freshmen to seniors.
“My visit of all 66 high schools in the top 26 counties was an exceptional journey,” Wendler said. “It deepened my perspective and strengthened my understanding of the schools and its students—all with some very warm Panhandle hospitality. These tours give me an opportunity to return their generosity and provide the students an invaluable experience with an exclusive look at college life and what it has to offer.”
Agendas for both morning and afternoon session include a visit to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, a tour of campus living and learning about tradition and student life. Members of Rogers LEAD WT and the President’s Ambassadors will provide a leadership activity, and all visiting students will get the chance to eat lunch in the campus Dining Hall.
Wendler kicked off his Panhandle tour in January as an outreach initiative to spread a message about higher education and community partnerships in the Texas Panhandle. His goal was to bridge the gap between the high school students of the Texas Panhandle and their journey to higher education. The WTAMU campus tours are designed to expose high school students to the University environment and encourage them to consider continuing their education after high school.
For more information about WTAMU’s “Day at WT,” contact Alayne McCandless at 806-651-2016 or amccandless@wtamu.edu."
-West Texas A&M University
