Tecas Wesleyan Uiversity

On a hot August day in 1890, Reverend Milton Little stood on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River, four miles east of the growing city of Fort Worth, Texas. The spot, he decided, would be the perfect location for the new educational institution planned by Fort Worth Methodists. Their "college on the hill" began as Polytechnic College in 1890, educating young men and women in subjects needed by the developing industrial and commercial economy of the state. The coeducational institution...
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On a hot August day in 1890, Reverend Milton Little stood on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River, four miles east of the growing city of Fort Worth, Texas. The spot, he decided, would be the perfect location for the new educational institution planned by Fort Worth Methodists. Their "college on the hill" began as Polytechnic College in 1890, educating young men and women in subjects needed by the developing industrial and commercial economy of the state. The coeducational institution changed its focus in 1914, becoming Texas Woman's College and educating young women in the liberal arts, especially music, in a supportive Christian environment. Needing to increase enrollment during the hard times of the Great Depression, college trustees decided to welcome young men back to the school in 1934. After changing its name to Texas Wesleyan College, the institution prevailed through depression, war, and financial strain. Traditions unique to Texas Wesleyan developed over the years. Some, like the Robing Ceremony, remain; others, like the May Fête, the Smile Girl, and the Old Student-New Student Wedding, are remembered only in the memories of former students.For 125 years, the "college on the hill," known since 1988 as Texas Wesleyan University, has remained in its historic location on the bluff above the Trinity, the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in north Texas. With the support of its donors, trustees, alumni, administrators, faculty, and students, the university continues to provide the opportunity for its students to pursue individual excellence and develop civic responsibility in a "smaller, smarter" environment. To change the world by changing lives, one student at a time, remains its goal, as the university looks forward to the next 125 years.